NEWZ 06:00 on Tuesday, 2 July 2024

Abusive landlord: Police finally take action

Two weeks ago, the owner burst into the house rented by Aleksandar Vukoje while he was sleeping and threatened to kill him.

Vukoje had refused to move out when his rental contract was automatically renewed by the housing authority.

Subsequently, the owner illegally cut off his tenant’s water and electricity supply.

However, St Julians police refused to immediately take a report against the owner and told the victim to come another day.

The incident prompted a demonstration by Solidarjetà, who are assisting the Serbian national and pledged to cover his legal costs.

On Monday, the new union announced that the police are finally pressing charges against the abusive owner and that Vukoje’s water and electricity supply has been restored.

“This win was only possible because of the solidarity shown by the public and by union members. When we organise, we win!”, the union said.

“The whole incident has shown how precarious tenants’ lives are in Malta and how a fit of rage by their landlord can effectively make them homeless, with the state unable or unwilling to intervene.”

Solidarjetà is calling for a change in law that would allow tenants to restore their water and electricity supply. Alternatively, the government should take emergency measures in such cases.

Revealed: Steward paid ‘smear’ campaign

Steward Health Care authorised a €6.5 million secret operation to target perceived opponents in Malta and abroad, corporate records reveal.

The documents were obtained by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and shared with Times of Malta and Boston Globe.

Their new investigation has found that senior Steward officials coordinated operations and corresponded daily with private spies at London-based intelligence firms.

Practices included using bank records, accessing sensitive phone data, and planting ‘fake’ stories about corruption among Maltese officials.

All concerned deny wrongdoing.

In Malta, former health minister Chris Fearne appears to have been the key target of Steward’s secret operation.

Last year, Fearne and his former chief of staff Carmen Ciantar dismissed allegations of an illicit €3.2 million payment as “fake claims”.

The police said that following investigations, “no evidence was found about the alleged matter that could lead to a criminal prosecution”.

“If confirmed it would not be coincidental that this disgusting act was carried out at a time when I was rigorously insisting on Steward fulfilling their contractual obligations”, Chris Fearne said.

Carmen Ciantar described the experience as “devastating, both professionally and personally”.

Prime Minister Robert Abela has called for an investigation into the smear campaign claims.

“The Labour Party is a criminal web where its own people are now turning against each other”, the PN said.

The Nationalist Party said Joseph Muscat and Robert Abela continued to defend Steward, even as it used taxpayers’ money to cook up stories against Fearne.

Developers’ lobby slams Qala pool action

The Malta Development Association (MDA) felt the need to point out that it is “unacceptable for individuals to take the law into their own hands”.

This statement came two days after Moviment Graffitti activists took direct action on a swimming pool in Qala.

The pool is the result of developer Joseph Portelli taking the law into his own hands, by excavating the site without a permit.

“We must be doing something right, when the MDA, headed by the king of illegalities, Michael Stivala, accuses us of breaking the law”, Moviment Graffitti said on Monday.

Weather: Windy, 29°C

Strong north-westerly winds up to force 7 will result in rough seas along the popular sandy beaches at Golden Bay and Riviera Bay.