VALLETTA (ITALPRESS/MNA) – By the end of 2022, 14 projects done with European Union funds in Malta were being investigated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the European Union for allegations of fraud, corruption or money laundering.
The annual report of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office shows that Malta has the largest amount of fraud investigations among the member countries of the European Union, compared to the size of the population.
The projects that are under scrutiny have a value of 123.5 million, among which three projects are being investigated for alleged fraud related to the payment of VAT, and which between them amount to 70.5 million.
Among the other cases that are under investigation there are four regarding alleged corruption, two regarding fraud in the process of awarding the contracts (procurement) and another investigation regarding alleged money laundering.
The annual report also indicates that three investigations are about projects related to the agricultural sector and rural development, one about the maritime sector and programs related to fishing, as well as another related to mobility, transport, energy and digitization.
Among the projects being investigated is the €40 million contract linked to the Marsa Junction project, after details that became known when Yorgen Fenech’s mobile phone was confiscated.
The 14 investigations led by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office mean a big leap in just one year, as in the previous year there was no open investigation against Malta.
-photo agenziafotogramma.it-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – At the end of this week, Malta will host the Home Affairs and Immigration Ministers of Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Spain to discuss a common position between them on immigration. The European Council of the Interior Ministers is just days away, and the five Mediterranean countries will be working to present themselves with a common position during the Council meeting. For the MED5 meeting, the Swedish Minister of Migration was also invited on behalf of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union together with the new Executive Director of the Frontex Agency.
Maltese Minister of the Interior, Security, Reform and Equality Byron Camilleri said “this is a golden opportunity for Malta to continue to be a leader in this field and to reach an agreement so that all MED5 countries have the same position at the Council of Ministers in the coming days. Malta, together with the Mediterranean countries, will continue to push for a policy that fights human traffickers and consequently reduces deaths at sea, and for a fairer policy that guarantees protection to those who really deserve it, while people who do not deserve to remain in the Union will be returned to their country.”

– foto Department of Information Malta –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ATHENS (GREECE) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Several protests are taking place in Greece due to the train crash in which 43 people died and 72 were injured. Local media reported that more than 10 people are still missing as Greece observes three days of national mourning.
The families provided DNA samples to help in the identification efforts, with the results expected on Thursday. Rescuers are still going through burnt and deformed carriages, looking for the victims.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s reaction that “tragic human error” was to blame for the incident caused great anger. Many see it as a long overdue incident.
The protests took place in front of the headquarters of the company responsible for the maintenance of the Greek railways, Hellenic Train. Other protests were also held in Thessaloniki and in the city of Larissa, near where the disaster occurred on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, demonstrators clashed with police outside the headquarters of Hellenic Train in Athens.
The Greek government has said that an independent investigation is underway to bring justice. Meanwhile, the Greek transport minister Kostas Karamanlis resigned. He resigned after visiting the scene of the tragedy stating that he cannot continue as if nothing had happened.
Most of the 350 passengers on board were 20-year-old students returning to Thessaloniki after a weekend celebrating Greek Orthodox Lent.
A station chief from Larissa, 59, was charged with manslaughter. He denied these allegations and blamed it on a technical failure.
Members of the railway unions believed that the railways’ safety systems were not working properly and said that there had been repeated warnings about this situation for many years.
Meanwhile, railway workers across Greece have begun a one-day strike that has blocked national rail services and the Athens Metro.

– photo Freepik –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

NEW DELHI (ITALPRESS/MNA) – According to international reports, the meeting of foreign ministers in India of the G20; the group of 20 industrialized and developing countries ended in New Delhi without a joint statement about the war in Ukraine.
In the meeting “most of the members” of the G20 “condemned firmly the war in Ukraine” and stressed that “it is causing immense human suffering and aggravating the existing fragility of the global economy: limiting growth,
rising inflation, rising energy and food insecurity and increasing the risks to financial stability”.
China has joined Russia in refusing to sign the
statement by the Foreign Ministers, meeting at the G20, that also called on Moscow to cease hostilities in Ukraine.
-photo agenziafotogramma.it-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Migration, the situation in Africa and food security were high on the agenda during an official meeting between the President of Malta, George Vella and the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins.
Both head of States held talks at A’ras an Uachtaràin, the official residence and office of the President of Ireland, at the beginning of a three-day State visit to Ireland.
During the bilateral meeting, President Vella and President Higgins highlighted Maltàs priorities in the United Nations Security Council, neutrality, climate change, and the latest developments in the war in Ukraine, the Mediterranean, Africa, migration, as well as food security.
The President of Malta said that the Irish President is very interested in the developments in Africa, how the war in Ukraine can affect hunger in Africa.
President Vella and President Higgins discussed deeply the war in Ukraine. In this context, the two Presidents spoke about neutrality because, like Malta, Ireland is a neutral country.
They also discussed the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries and areas for future cooperation.
In Dublin, President Vella had a separate meeting with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. The discussion between President Vella and Prime Minister Varadkar also focused on similarities between the two countries, climate change, Africa, and war and peace in Ukraine.

– foto Department of Information Malta –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

HELSINKI (FINLAND) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Finnish Parliament gave its final approval for NATO membership. 184 voted in favour, 7 voted against.
The decision needs to be signed and endorsed into law by the Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.
Turkey and Hungary, are the only two NATO members among the 30 member countries of the Atlantic Alliance that have not yet voted to rectify the membership.
Finland, together with Sweden, has initiated the process to join NATO after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine described as “a genocidal war” by the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

– photo Agenziafotogramma.it –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Former Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was the latest target as more protests continued in Malta against the Labour administration following the historic court judgment that annulled the privatisation agreement of three state hospitals which was described as “fraudulent”.
Thursday’s protest was organised by the NGO Repubblika in front of the offices of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. This protest followed another one organised on Wednesday by the Nationalist Opposition when the Nationalist leader Bernard Grech addressed the media in front of one of the state hospitals and entered the building with the media to show how the private company Steward Healthcare failed to invest in the hospital, despite receiving millions from the Maltese government.
In today’s protest, the President of Republika Robert Aquilina declared that the politicians responsible from the deal must face justice and be held criminally and politically responsible. Aquilina remarked that it was unacceptable that no one took responsability for this abuse. “People have a right to know where €400 millions has gone and they have a right to see corrupt politicians go to jail,” he said.
He appealed to the Police Commissioner to take action and warned about the possibility of those involved fleeing from Malta. “The place for all corrupt politicians in prison. Joseph Muscat belongs in prison” said Aquilina while referring to evidence that shows the role played by former Labour ministers Konrad Mizzi, Chris Cardona and, Edward Scicluna, as well as Keith Schembri, the former Chief of Staff at the Office of the Prime Minister.
-photo Repubblika –
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

ATHENS (GREECE) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – At least 40 people died and 130 more are injured, six in intensive care, as two trains collided head on late on Tuesday evening in northern Greece. Around 25 people are still missing but some may be people who left the scene.
Rescue workers spent the night trying to rescue passengers who were on the passenger train when it crashed into a merchant train near the city of Larissa. The passenger train was heading to Thessaloniki, departed from Athens whille the freight train with which it collided was heading from Thessaloniki to Larissa.
The station master of Larissa has been arrested and has been charged with manslaughter by negligence. The 59-year-old has also been charged with grievous bodily harm by negligence. The station master, who is in charge of signalling, denies any wrongdoing and has blamed the accident on a possible technical failure.
Around 150 firefighters and 40 ambulances were on the scene and according to people on the site, the collision was so severe that the two first carriages just disappeared.
There were more than 350 people on the passenger train. One of the passengers said there was chaos, an incredibly shocking experience. People who were evacuated described the scene with carriages on fire and passengers unable to escape.
The President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, has cut short an official visit to Moldova to visit the site of the crash. The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that Greece will enter a three day period of mourning. “We are facing an unimaginable tragedy, we mourn mainly young people.” All public celebrations have been cancelled and flags on public buildings are flying at half mast until Friday.
This is the worst train accident that has ever occurred in Greece.

– photo Freepik –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – According to the National Statistics Office, the estimates for 2022 show that the Gross Domestic Product amounted to 16.9 billion euros, registering an increase of 1.9 billion euros, or 12.5%, when compared to 2021.
Matese Prime Minister Robert Abela declared in a tweet that in 2022 the economic growth was double that in the euro area. “Despite the pandemic and the effects of the Ukraine war our economy is nearly a tenth larger than what it was in 2019”.
An increase in the service activities, industry and agriculture and fishing contributed to this increase by 9%, 7.6% and 8.5% respectively. However, the construction industry declined in its activity by 7%.
The increase in service activities was mainly driven in the accommodation and food service activities (81.4%), transportation and storage (23.3%), administrative and support services activities (15.8%), information and communication (7.9%), and wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (7.7%).
In 2022, an increase of 7.6% was registered in the consumption expenditure as a result of an increase in household expenditure and government’s expenditure.
Exports and imports of goods and services in volume increased by 6.4% and 9.7%, respectively.
Last year’s 1,868 million euros economic growth was distributed in 644 million for the increase in workers’ salaries; 1,172 million in profits of businesses; and another 52 million in production and importation taxes.

– photo Agenziafotogramma.it –

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A 56-year-old Italian man was sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined €28,000 after he admitted to importing 10 kilograms of cannabis into Malta four years ago. A 56-year-old from Syracuse, was arrested in November 2018 after he came to Malta from Sicily by Catamaran. The Customs Officers carried out an intensive search after a customs dog smelled something suspicious.
The Police took the car into the garage and following a search, the drug with a market value of €20,000, hidden in the doors was found. The Sicilian had admitted to the charges before the trial began and the sentence of 14 years imprisonment was given after an agreement between the Prosecution and the Defense representing the Sicilian.
(ITALPRESS).

Photo credits: agenziafotogramma.it

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews