Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/898252
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2017 News 2 Government by social media Maltese government spending on social media, Twitter and Facebook Source: House of Representatives (PQ by Jason Azzopardi MP) 1. Over €2.5 million spent in four years It's not yet the complete data, but social media spends from 11 ministries started to grow exponentially with the growth in importance of Facebook ads, following a trend established by private companies and public authorities elsewhere. IMPORTANT NOTE: €1.34 million alone was spent by the Malta Tourism Authority to promote Malta as a tourism destination. No monthly breakdown was given, so this was evenly split over five years in our data 700K 600K 500K 400K 300K 200K 100K 0 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 €558334.388 €657889.888 €650384.708 €515363.15 €376162.64 If you exclude the MTA's promotional efforts, it's Joseph Muscat's office that spends the most as a ministry and also constantly, reserving a budget for social media advertising every month. How to account for the sudden spikes in spending: the Oct-Nov season means it is Budget time, while elections in May, or in April will often see a surge in spending 2. At €553,393, the Prime Minister's office is the biggest social media spender June 2013 December 2013 April 2014 July 2014 Oct 2014 December 2014 Feb 2015 April 2015 July 2015 October 2015 December 2015 Feb 2016 April 2016 June 2016 August 2016 October 2016 December 2016 Feb 2017 April 2017 June 2017 August 2017 0 €20000 €40000 €60000 €80000 3. Gozo is the second-biggest social media spender with €394,824.71 (especially during Christmas) €70K €60K €50K €40K €30K €20K €10K 0 September 2017 July 2017 May 2017 Mar 2017 January 2017 November 2016 September 2016 July 2016 May 2016 Mar 2016 January 2016 November 2015 September 2015 July 2015 May 2015 Mar 2015 January 2015 November 2014 September 2013 July 2014 May 2014 March 2014 January 2014 November 2013 September 2013 July 2013 May 2013 March 2013 s from o grow he growt cebook ad d establishe ompanies and public s elsewhere. ANT NOTE: €1.34 million s spent by the Malta To To T urism to promote Malta as a ation. No monthly follow private author IMPOR alone w Autho tourism Surely it's a reckoning that social media is the fastest and most effective way of outreach with a constituency such as Gozo. The figures of the Gozo ministry, led by Anton Refalo in the 2013- 2017 administration, speak for themselves. Always aiming for big draws to the island, looks like social media was especially used for the Bethlehem in Ghajnsielem nativity feast MAT THE W AGIUS A court has started hearing a Consti- tutional application filed by former PN leader Simon Busuttil, over the recusal of a judge. Busuttil demanded the recusal of Antonio Mizzi on a request to open an investigation on allegations of money laundering by government of- ficials implicated in the Panama Pa- pers, because Mizzi 's wife is Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi. Mizzi denied the request, and Bu- suttil has now filed a constitutional challenge to the decision. The sitting had barely started when a law yer from the Office of the At- torney General requested that the appellants in the case before Judge Mizzi – Prime Minister Joseph Mus- cat, minister Konrad Mizzi, the PM's chief of staff Keith Schembri, Nexia BT partners Brian Tonna and Karl Cini, Kasco Group employee Mal- colm Scerri and former Allied Pub- lications director Adrian Hillman – be admitted as parties to the case as they had a juridical interest in its outcome. This was opposed by law yer and Na- tionalist MP Jason Azzopardi, who argued that at this stage there was no finding of guilt and therefore there could be no juridical interest. He re- marked that the AG "is apparently no longer the government's law yer, but had become the law yer for the Prime Minister and the other appellants." In May, Simon Busuttil presented what he said was evidence of money laundering by Schembri and Mizzi to Magistrate Ian Farrugia. In July, Farrugia decreed there was sufficient basis to open a magisterial inquiry. His decision was appealed by the appellants implicated. This appeal was supposed to be heard by Judge Antonio Mizzi, but Busuttil request- ed his recusal. Mizzi refused to step aside and this led to the Constitutional applica- tion, with Busuttil arguing the deci- sion was breaching his fundamental rights. Mizzi decided to stop hearing the appeal until the Constitutional proceedings are concluded. Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon will deliver a ruling on the Attorney Gen- eral 's request later this month. Law yer Jason Azzopardi is appear- ing on behalf of Simon Busuttil while law yer Victoria Buttigieg is repre- senting the office of the Attorney General. Appeal on judge's recusal over money laundering inquiry is now filed in Constitutional Court A court has turned down a jewellery shop owner's request to unfreeze his assets after he was acquitted of han- dling stolen jewellery, because of a pending appeal by the Attorney Gen- eral (AG). George Tabone, owner of Gram Holdings, Gram Jewellers and Gram Collections filed a constitutional case against the AG, as his assets remain subject to a freezing order until the appeal filed by the AG is decided. In August 2011 the police had re- ceived information that a jewellery shop had been robbed of €500,000 worth of stock. During the course of their investigations, the police had interrogated a suspect and his son, who had claimed to have sold the sto- len items to Tabone, who was later charged in connection with the heist. Although Tabone was eventually acquitted in 2015, an appeal was filed by the AG, which meant that the freezing order applied for by the prosecution, over all of Tabone's as- sets in March 2013, remained in ef- fect. Tabone then filed a constitutional application, claiming that he was un- able to receive his salary from the companies he owned or pay creditors. This was exposing him to legal action, he said. The AG, however, countered, saying that the freezing order had to remain in place until the court of appeal de- cided the case. Mr Justice Silvio Meli, found for the AG, ruling that the man's assets could not be released until the appeal case concluded. Freezing orders are not there to kick somebody while they are down, said the judge, but to ensure crime does not pay. While turning down the request, Meli concluded that the freezing or- der was in the public interest. Jeweller's assets still frozen despite acquittal, due to AG appeal