Two mayors facing criminal charges of misappropriation of public funds, money laundering, and usury have increased their popularity in their respective local councils, going against the overall trend in the local council elections.
Labour stalwart Sandro Craus will serve another five years as Labour’s Mayor of Rabat, as he increased his personal vote tally by around 200 votes in last Saturday’s elections, reaching 1,900 votes.
Craus, who, until a few years ago, was the right-hand man of disgraced former Chief of Staff Keith Schembri, is being charged with illegally helping Melvin Theuma, the fixer of Caruana Galizia’s assassination, get a phantom government job.
Despite the charges he is facing, the Labour Party still supported his candidacy.
This is a departure from the actions previously taken by Prime Minister Robert Abela towards other Labour politicians caught in a similar position to Craus’s, such as former Labour MPs Silvio Grixti, Konrad Mizzi and Rosianne Cutajar.
As soon as Abela was elected to power, Craus was made to resign as Head of Customer Care at Castille. However, upon the prime minister’s instructions, he was employed as a Business Development Manager at Projects Plus, an agency within the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).
Craus was awarded a lucrative €65,000 a year contract by CEO James Camenzuli, who is also facing criminal charges. His colleagues describe his job as “another phantom job,” given that Craus is rarely at his desk.
David Apap (centre) received an award last year from Minister Owen Bonnici and Parliamentary Secretary Alison Zerafa Civelli for his long service
Similarly, David Apap, the Mayor of Gharb in Gozo, also did well.
Despite ongoing criminal charges of usury and money laundering, Apap enjoyed a comfortable lead in the local council election, retaining the mayorship with an even bigger vote tally. Apap denies the charges, but the proceedings are still underway in the Gozo Courts.
Compared to 2019, Apap increased his votes by approximately 200 in a village with fewer than 2000 registered voters. Last Saturday, 555 voters voted for him on his ticket, L-Gharb l-Ewwel.
Until he was arraigned in court in 2013, Apap was a PN Mayor, but after that, he contested the local council elections as an independent candidate.
Apap is currently embroiled in another controversy. Against the wishes of his locality’s football club and without explanation, he leased their ground to another rival football team.
This explains why mafiamalta is alive and kicking. why be honest when dishonesty and corruption rules the day. Isthi craus, ghandek ragun tkun korrott ghaliex shabek f’kastillja ghallmuk tajjeb.
At least we now know, for sure, where the most intellectually/morally challenged live (beyond Rabat and Gharb as well). Not one can claim that the facts were not available. They simply failed to understand or ignored them for their own short-sighted reasons.
With the PL anything is possible. They turned Castille into a den for thieves.
That’s how the sheep vote they reward corrupt officials
Like chickens on the way to the slaughter house.
Birds of the same feather flock together!
Min jivvota ghal xi hadd li hu korrott xi jkun qed jaghmel? Ikun qed jappoggja il-korruzzjoni. Il-korruzzjoni, mela, tintghogob minn hafna votanti u hafna tfisser eluf. Dawn f’kull elezzjoni jigu jitmejlu mill-gid jew sahhet pajjizhom. L-importanti huwa li jakkwistaw minn taht. U dawn il-mafjuzi ma jdawwarhom hadd! Huma eluf li matematikament idawwru rizultat ta’elezzjoni. Il-PN ma dawn jistghu jxammru kmiem imma ghalxejn!
Love Island? My foot. Corruption Island.
“Vox populi, vox Dei” it is said.
But we all know who, and what, was behind the ‘vox turbae’ which clamoured madly and uncontrollably for the liberation of Barabbas.
Somehow, history has the habit of repeating itself!
And added to this is the Governor of the Central Bank – also facing criminal charges of fraud and money laundering in respect of the country’s biggest ever scam of public funds.
Dan huwa it-termometru Malti Nisrani. Nahseb li il-Knisja mhiex taghmel xoghlha bizzejjed rigward il-kuxjenza morali. Jiena ma nistax nifhem li insara jmorru jisimghu il-quddies u jipparteċipaw fil-festi qaddisin imbaghad jmorru jivvotaw jew jaduraw lil dawn l’allat foloz politici kriminali li fil-legizlazjoni taghhom inqabdu jisirqu pajjizna wara li instabu hatja tal-qtil makabru ta’mara gurnalista Maltija Daphne Galizia. Ma jitwemmnux l’affarijiet. Qisu xejn mhu xejn. Nies imginen. Hole in the heads. Xi hadd Integru jrid juri dan l’andament sagrilegi li hawn pajjizna.
Pajjiz li.jhaddan suppost San Pietru u San Pawl. Ahna jew mahniex
Konferma, jekk qatt kien hemm bzonn, li dan il-pajjiz mhux normali.