In the Press: More details come to light about Dingli tragedy, Malta's party financing legislation needs more work

Stories from today's national press

Police have been handed the last messages left by Lisa Maria Zahra and Erin Tanti before they were found at Dingli cliffs last week
Police have been handed the last messages left by Lisa Maria Zahra and Erin Tanti before they were found at Dingli cliffs last week

MaltaToday

The front page of the MaltaToday carries a report on the parliamentary debate on the Opposition's second motion to revoke the legal notice on the controversial Individual Investor Programme. The motion did not pass. Leader of the Opposition Simon Busuttil said that the government was only forced into making changes to the scheme to ensure genuine applications after the intervention of the European Parliament. 

Sharing the front page is a report on the tragic death of a teenager last week at Dingli cliffs. The police have been handed the last messages written by 15-year old student Lisa Maria Zahra and 23-year old teacher Erin Tanti. The content of those notes is not known. Police have also established which Valletta pharmacy  from which Tanti purchased a large amount of aspirin tablets.

The Times of Malta 

The Canadian man accused of accidentally killing his wife in 2011 was acquitted by a court yesterday, who found him not guilty of driving recklessly and causing the car accident which would eventually claim his wife's life. Jean Guy Legendre, of Quebec, was driving when a BMW veered into his lane at high speed and caused a collision which injured Legendre, his wife Renee Pelland and the passengers in a car driving behind Legendre. Pelland died after complications arising from internal bleeding some time after the accident.

Malta's party financing regulations drew criticism from the Council of Europe. While it praised steps taken to improve the situation, the Group of States Against Corruption said there remains much to be done to bring Malta's laws into line with EU legislation despite having four years since the last assessment to make the recommended changes.

In-Nazzjon

Deputy leader of the PN Mario de Marco said that way MEPA took the decision on the LNG power station calls for more consideration on how such decisions are made. He said that safety should come before convenience and that such decisions should be well informed. This was in particular reference to the lack of a complete maritime impact assessment before the case was brought before the board. Another article reports on the situation at Mater Dei, which the newspaper claims has become out of control. Patients are being transferred to Saint Vincent de Paul Residence and Mount Carmel Hospital to ease the overcrowding in Mater Dei.

L-Orizzont

The proposal to split MEPA into two entities occupies part of today's L-Orizzont front page. The government is expected to announce about 100 proposals as part of its plan to split MEPA into an environment authoritiy and a separate planning authority. This was announced yesterday by Parliamentary Secretary Michael Farrugia. A report on the direct orders received by Simon Busuttil's company lays out the amounts in question. These include direct orders to the tune of €191,344 from the Ministry of Foregin Affairs between 1999 and 2004. This money was for consultation services from the Malta Information Centre, an entity which he headed.

The Malta Independent

The Independent's front page carries the news that a much-anticipated trailer for the movie Simshar will be released today, with the film itself arriving in theatres this spring. Based on the 2008 tragedy which saw the sinking of the fishing vessel, the local production by Kukumajsa Productions is aiming for worldwide distribution. The front page also reports on the as yet unknown fate of fireworks enthusiasts in the Marsaxlokk and Birzebbuga areas now that the LNG plant has been given the go-ahead. Mepa said it could not guarantee that fireworks displays would be allowed, particularly following the results of a risk assessment study that said that fireworks could be distasterous if they came into contact with LNG.