Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/998504
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 27 JUNE 2018 3 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Such was the force of impact that the pick-up overturned, hurling 55-year-old Bonavia out of the vehicle, killing him al- most instantly. D'Amato Quintano was accused of in- voluntary homicide, driving recklessly and at excessive speed. Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera had heard how the accused had a spotless criminal record and how his probation officer had suggested that the accused should "stay active in the workplace with the aim of continuing to live a stable life whilst continuing to go forward in his life". D'Amato Quintano admitted to the charges on 21 June 2018. The court imposed a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years. The man was also placed under a two-year su- pervision order and ordered to pay a fine of €2,000 within three years. His driving licence was suspended for one year. Inspector Spiridione Zammit prosecut- ed. Lawyers Franco Debono and Amade- us Cachia were defence counsel. Accused has driving licence suspended for a year Macron defers to Muscat on statements relating to Lifeline TIA RELJIC A total of 12,407 third country nationals were registered with Jobsplus at the end of last year, information tabled in Parlia- ment has revealed. The third countries with the highest number of persons employed in Malta were the Philippines and Serbia, with 2,413 and 2,329 respectively. The vast majority of these re- flect full-time employment, as only 28 persons from the Phil- ippines and 58 persons from Serbia were employed part- time. In fact, only 747 third coun- try nationals were employed part-time, compared to the 11,660 who were registered for full-time employment. Another 30,564 persons from the European Union, Eu- ropean Economic Area, and European Free Trade Associa- tion countries were employed in Malta. From these, Italy tops the list with 7,778 employees, followed by the United Kingdom with 4,819. The information was pro- vided in reply to a parliamen- tary question by Nationalist MP Chris Said, who asked for the number of non-Maltese nationals registered with Job- splus, which countries the per- sons come from and whether they are employed full-time or part-time. 12,400 third country nationals working in Malta CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 They said that Malta would be hold- ing its ground until it had confirma- tion that the migrants on board the Lifeline would be distributed evenly among the various member states. The statement followed others by a French government spokesman and Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, who both informed the media that Malta had agreed to allow the vessel to disembark its passengers in Malta. Meanwhile, as he was addressing journalists at the Vatican yesterday afternoon, Macron said that efforts at finding a solution were being led by Muscat, whom he commended for taking the lead in finding a European solution. Macron said Muscat's efforts repre- sented European solidarity at work. The French President said he would be leaving any declarations about the Lifeline case to the Maltese Prime Minister. The French President insisted that Europe was caught in a political cri- sis pitting the "progressives who want real European solidarity against the nationalists". The vessel is carrying 234 migrants who were picked up from within the Libyan search and rescue region six days ago. The Armed Forces of Malta carried out an emergency evacuation from the rescue vessel in the early hours yesterday. The fate of the ship has been the subject of a second dispute between Malta and Italy this month, with both countries refusing to allow the vessel to enter their ports. Despite being told to wait for the assistance of Libya's coast guard, the NGO crew decided to rescue the ir- regular migrants because had they not, they would have been returned to Libya. In its statement, the Maltese gov- ernment said that in the eventuality that the vessel entered Malta, the MV Lifeline would be investigated, with "possible action' taken against the crew. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has maintained throughout that while NGOs' work in the Mediterranean needed to be recognised, there need- ed to be a clear regulatory framework for their operations. Meanwhile, it appeared that the Maltese authorities had refused the MV Aquarius, a migrant rescue vessel operated by SOS Mediterranee, entry into Malta for a crew change. The Aquarius was at the centre of another standoff between Malta and Italy earlier this month, which was ul- timately resolved when Spain stepped in to take the 629 migrants onboard. European leaders met in Brussels on Sunday for an informal meeting on migration, with Muscat telling par- liament on Monday that Malta's pro- posals were mirrored by the majority of EU leaders. European leaders are now set to meet at the EU Council summit on Friday. ypace@mediatoday.com.mt