A government spokesman denies that Libya’s ex PM is living in Malta. Times of Malta says that it has confirmed, through its own sources, that he is in fact here
Times of Malta has published a government spokesman’s denial that Ali Zeidan is living in Malta (“online reports that”…without quoting the source), but has directly undermined the government’s denial by publishing, in the same story, the fact that it has confirmed, through its own sources, that he is indeed living in Malta and has been seen dining regularly in Mellieha.
I am glad Times of Malta has specified it used its own sources to confirm Ali Zeidan’s presence in Malta. That means I’m not out on a limb here, insisting that yes, he is in Malta, in the face of the government’s denial.
But it would be interesting to know why Times of Malta waited until 90 minutes after I uploaded my report to action their sources on this one. It’s good that they did so, though.
Now Times of Malta should take exception with the government for lying to it.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140608/local/government-denies-former-libyan-pm-zeidan-living-in-malta.522522
Now where is that list of those ‘ta’ talent’ who bought a Maltese passport?
This is looking like things could get very messy.
Perhaps HE bought a passport?
Maybe, and at a price, Henley and something can even change your name on your new passport. Then, technically, the anonymous spokesman wouldn’t be lying.
And now it’s gone again.
Portomaso is a lot nicer than L-Ambjent in Xemxija. I’m surprised he’s not staying there.
[Daphne – Try parking two carloads of armed guards at Portomaso.]
And the reaction of Times of Malta readers is…. drum roll…..
‘his cover has been blown, do we need to know?, reporting this puts people at risk…’
One can confirm that when ethics and morals were being handed out there were hardly any Maltese in the queue. Our national emblem should feature sand with our heads stuck in it and our asses jutting out. Unbelievable.
Does anyone in his right mind think that if anyone determined enough had wanted to look for and find Zeidan, they would not have been able to do so without the information posted on this website? Do they really think that anyone else outside these shores would simply take the word of the Maltese prime minister on the matter?
At this point one waits for an explanation, if anything, to see if some can fool most of the people most of the time.
“Gidba ta’ kuljum aghtina llum”
If Times of Malta is insisting he is in Malta, why did they remove what they published earlier? The government’s denial and their confirmation should have been updates to the original news story.
[Daphne – It could have been just a moment of panic. In any case, the original story is there beneath the government’s denial, so it makes no difference.]
Probably not. The second article is gone too.
Whichever way you look at this it’s still a fiasco for the government. If his residency here (permanent or temporary) was supposed to be a secret (since the Office of the Prime Minister denied it) the Secret Services sure don’t know how to be discreet.
If it was not a secret, why deny it? Or does the Ministry of Home Affairs not communicate with the Office of the Prime Minister? Either way it’s a big fiasco.
It is incredible how such a thing – the presence in Malta of a former Libyan Prime Minister wanted in his own country in a corruption investigation – could be denied by the government in the face of independent press verification of the fact – unless one assumes that Times of Malta has taken complete leave of its senses and its editor should be sent to the fruit farm.
In any other European democracy (forget, of course, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and the like) such an ‘incident’, including the very fact that a former head of government of a state which is not a model of democracy was allowed surreptitious entry into the country, and the brazen denial of the same, would be the subject of a vigorous Parliamentary debate, and heads in the executive branch of government (whether politicians’ or civil servants’) would roll.
In Malta we seem to be content with reading about it at lunchtime on Sunday and with dismissing it as another faux pas by the government.
L-istorja reghhet tnehhiet ghat-tieni darba.
It must be a panic station at Times of Malta.
In the meantime, our courts are squandering good money to figure out why our PM was temporarily blinded. This country is really going crazier than ever before.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140608/local/investigators-re-create-circumstances-which-led-to-pms-temporary-blindness.522523
Is it only on my phone that Times of Malta’s story has disappeared for the second time?
No Neil, it has disappeared altogether now.
Is this the same Libyan prime minister with whom Muscat agreed on the sale of cheap fuel?
[Daphne – Yes.]
Exactly, he was the one who promised to supply us with oil at favourable prices..
Then, according to some, we should not help him when he needs us. Of course if all this is true and not something to fill up our papers with.
[Daphne – It was an empty promise to begin with, Mr Loporto, and his cavalier attitude towards fuel and inability to handle the domestic situation in fuel production is the reason he was forced out.]
Oh dear, oh dear Times of Malta. What have they turned you into? Of all people. Of all media houses!