Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/984659
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 MAY 2018 NEWS MINISTRY FOR FINANCE The Ministry for Finance is committed to promote and improve its administrative operations by simplifying the processes and deliver within the stipulated timeframes. The Ministry is seeking to recruit individuals who are ready to join a dynamic team and thus also offering an opportunity to those individuals who would like to start a career within the Public Service. The Ministry is receiving applications for the post of: Customs Officer Applications together with a curriculum vitae will be received through the Online MEDE Recruitment Portal on https://edurecruitment.gov.mt by not later than noon (CET) of Friday 25 th May 2018. Further details may be obtained from the Government Gazette, number 19,990 dated 11 th May 2018: https://www.gov.mt/en/Government/Government%20Gazette/ Documents/2018/05/Government%20Gazette%20- %2011th%20May,%202018.pdf or by sending an e-mail to the Recruitment Section on recruitment.mfin@gov.mt. Ministry for Finance, 158, Cavalier House, Old Mint Street, Valletta Tel: 25998431 Email: recruitment.mfin@gov.mt Historian's appeal to acquire Antonio de Saliba painting A painting by the late 1400s and early 1500s artist An- tonio de Saliba will go up for auction by Sotheby's on Tuesday, and a University of Malta lecturer in art history is appealing for the Maltese au- thorities to acquire the paint- ing. Charlene Vella said the Renaissance artist was an ar- tistic follower of his Sicilian uncle Antonello da Messina and the Venetian master Gio- vanni Bellini. The Madonna Adoring The Child was valued by Sothe- by's at between €32,000 to €48,000. The artwork was acquired in Florence by Theodore Davis in 1902 and then be- queathed to the Metropoli- tan Museum of Art in 1915. While a native of Sicily, de Saliba's paintings display the clear influence of Giovanni Bellini and the Belliniani. "The painting in ques- tion was very likely executed when de Saliba was in Venice between 1480 and 1495, and specifically when he was affil- iated with the bottega of Gio- vanni Bellini, of which there is substantial circumstantial evidence. De Saliba's father, the intagliatore Giovanni de Saliba, is recorded in Malta on several occasions, and is likely to have been Maltese himself," Vella said. "There are paintings on Malta by de Saliba and his cousin Salvo d'Antonio at Żejtun parish church, the Franciscan Observant church of Ta' Ġieżu in Rabat, and the Mdina Cathedral Museum, several of which have been diagnostically tested and re- stored, but there are none in the national collection." Vella said this revealed in- formation not only about Maltese commissions from the Renaissance period, but also about these artists and their artworks in general. "Malta is thus fast becoming a centre for study of these Re- naissance masters. This late quattrocento painting of the Madonna adoring the Child of remarkably high quality, which may be by an artist of Maltese descent, deserves to be in Malta, and in the na- tional collection." The painting bears striking similarities to the Madonna enthroned adoring the Child in Żejtun that was commis- sioned for the old church of St Catherine in Żejtun (to- day's San Girgor). "I therefore urge the local authorities to consider the acquisition of this prestigious artwork that can be enjoyed in a public collection and studied further in the context of the other paintings by the artist in question," Vella said. "Malta is fast becoming a centre for study of these Renaissance masters. This late quattrocento painting of the Madonna adoring the Child of remarkably high quality, which may be by an artist of Maltese descent, deserves to be in Malta, and in the national collection" MATTHEW AGIUS A hospital worker has been awarded €19,000 in damages after she was scalded with boiling water at her workplace. The woman, a carer who was employed by a private con- tractor, suffered severe burns when a boiler tipped over onto her in the kitchen of the ward where she was working in De- cember 2012, covering her from head to toe in scalding- hot water. The victim suffered perma- nent scarring as a result and sued her employer, Support Services Ltd and the Govern- ment Chief Medical Officer for damages. Judge Joseph R. Micallef heard witnesses explain how the boiler in question had been propped up on plastic boxes used to hold yoghurt containers and was covered by an unsecured lid which was a replacement for a damaged part. It emerged that the boiler had been overfilled on the day, but was otherwise working well and the incident would not have occurred had the plastic boxes not collapsed. The use of the plastic boxes was discontinued after the in- cident. The plaintiff was treated at the Emergency department in the immediate aftermath of the incident, requiring skin grafts to treat her horrific burns and she spent weeks as a patient in hospital as a result. It was only thanks to the skill of the surgeons who treated her that her permanent dis- ability was kept at 6% and not the expected 13%. The woman's wages were paid in full for the duration of the time she was unable to at- tend work. She also applied to the social security department for workplace injury benefits. The Chief Government Med- ical Officer denied responsibil- ity for the accident and insist- ed that upkeep of equipment in the public hospital was not the CGMO's responsibility. The CGMO also argued that the woman had been negligent when she moved the boiler. On the other hand, the woman's employer, Support Services Ltd, had argued that the boiler was the property of the hospital and so was the re- sponsibility for the accident. The court, however, ruled that both her employer and the hospital had to bear the responsibility for the accident, agreeing with the plaintiff that the injuries she had suffered were the direct effect of short- comings which the respond- ents had to answer to. The victim had requested compensation both for costs she incurred as a result of the incident and loss of income due to her disability. Although courts often use an established formula to liq- uidate damages in such cases, the judge said that he was ex- pected to award compensation after evaluating the circum- stances of the case according to what the woman deserved and not "through some math- ematical mantra." Noting that in this case, the plaintiff had been just 20 years old at the time of the accident, the court awarded the woman €19,106 by way of compensa- tion, payable by both defend- ants. Lawyer Maxilene Ellul ap- peared for the woman, lawyer Josette Sultana represented the Chief Government Medi- cal Officer, whilst lawyer Ian Spiteri Bailey represented the woman's employer. Scalded hospital worker gets €19,000 in damages