MaltaToday's most read stories for 2020

In a year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic it is no surprise that 13 of the top 20 most read stories on MaltaToday were COVID-19 related.

But even if COVID-19 was a constant in our lives throughout 2020, other news events did manage to gain readers’ attention.

The sudden death of a Naxxar teenager and the anguish it caused to family and friends touched hearts. There was also the shocking double murder of Christian Pandolfino and Ivor Maciejowski at their house in Sliema – three men were eventually arrested and charged.

The anguish of dozens of Nadur residents who were suddenly faced with the prospect of being dispossessed of their homes and land also took centre-stage in 2020. The lay benefice of the Sant’Antonio delli Navarra estate was registered as the new owner on the basis of documents dating back to the 1600s.

From Prime Minister Robert Abela's contentious holidays in Sicily over the summer months at a time when COVID-19 cases started to surge again in Malta to Economy Minister Silvio Schembri's insensitive words that foreigners laid off during the pandemic will be deported, also featured in the top 20.

Here we take an in-depth look at the top 5 stories on the list that gained your attention.

1. Keith Schembri testimony: PM asked him to stop Fenech from fleeing, Delia asked Fenech for €50,000 to stop Casa

The most read story was Keith Schembri’s testimony last June in the compilation of evidence against Yorgen Fenech, who stands accused of masterminding the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

It was the first time that Schembri stepped into the courtroom as a witness and we were there to live blog his testimony that lasted more than three hours. Schembri testified again in the Caruana Galizia public inquiry a couple of weeks ago.

The former OPM chief of staff spoke about his friendship with Fenech, saying he would go through fire for his friends. But Schembri insisted that Fenech never told him about the murder and never asked for information from him.

He denied any involvement in Caruana Galizia’s murder and warned by the magistrate about perjury, Schembri insisted he had nothing to hide.

He also revealed how then prime minister Joseph Muscat asked him to call Fenech at night and convince him not to leave Malta. Fenech was arrested on the following morning.

Schembri also testified how Fenech had told him how former Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia had asked for €50,000 to stop David Casa’s European Parliament election bid. The claim was denied by Delia.

This sitting was one of several related to Fenech’s compilation of evidence that took place throughout the year and is expected to continue in 2021.

2. Lockdown now or later? Maltese professor’s graphs are why we have to trust public health experts

This was a story that came out in the second of week of March, days after Malta registered its first COVID-19 case and when several voices, including the doctors’ union and the Nationalist Party advocated for a lockdown.

Professor Victor Grech laid out the epidemiology of a pandemic in graphs, arguing that imposing a lockdown too early, or too late would create problems.

His was a call for people to heed medical advice “not social media advice”.

Grech said public health officials knew what they were doing through the gradual escalation of restrictive measures to curb virus spread.

He insisted that it was crucial to avoid infection spikes not to overwhelm public health services and hospitals.

Malta managed to contain the spread of COVID-19 between March and June, while also keeping down the mortality rate. It was in summer, when measures were relaxed that cases started to increase again until the virus hit hard in homes for the elderly last September.

New restrictive measures introduced in October, which were tightened further a few weeks later, helped stymie a rising curve.

3. Building collapse: Architect who certified excavation works as safe is project business partner

This story was published just after 9pm on 2 March as rescue personnel was still sifting through the rubble of a collapsed house in Hamrun, searching for Miriam Pace.

The building collapsed adjacent to a construction site where excavation works were happening.

Pace, a mother of two, was inside her house when the building came crashing down. Her lifeless body was eventually extracted from the rubble just after 10pm.

As we followed the search and rescue operation throughout the day, MaltaToday received information that the architect who certified the construction site as safe, was also a shareholder in the company behind the development.

Architect Roderick Camilleri turned out to be a minority shareholder in MCZMC Developers Ltd run by Malcolm Mallia, a council member of the Malta Developers Association.

Camilleri drew up the method statement for the excavation works and would have had to evaluate the risks involved under new rules approved last year, following a series of building collapses.

But Camilleri’s involvement as a shareholder in the company behind the development, raised serious questions over a potential conflict of interest.

Pace’s tragic death led to four people linked to the development being charged in court with involuntary homicide but the conclusions of an independent inquiry into building practices remain under wraps despite the findings having been presented to Prime Minister Robert Abela.

4. Coronavirus: Cruise liner headed for Malta carrying out voluntary quarantine in Greece

This story was out on 5 March as the frenzy over COVID-19 took root. Malta only reported its first case of coronavirus two days later but with reports from neighbouring Italy painting a very bleak picture, people were worried.

The cruise ship MSC Opera had no reported cases of COVID-19 on board but opted for voluntary quarantine after a tourist who disembarked from the ship a week earlier was diagnosed with coronavirus.

The MSC Opera had Turkey on its itinerary but the country prohibited the entry of any cruise liners as an extreme precaution against the coronavirus. Malta was then listed as an unscheduled visit.

When news broke that the ship was heading to Malta from Greece, questions arose as to whether this was a wise move. No Maltese people were to board but the 4,000 passengers had a full-day excursion planned.

Eventually, under the threat of industrial action by doctors and nurses, government relented and denied the cruise liner entry into Malta.

5. Paceville clubbers in violent brawl with bouncers outside Havana, no arrests yet made

Accompanied by mobile phone footage, this story on 1 August was about a massive brawl between revellers and bouncers from the Havana establishment on a Friday night.

Bottles flew and glass was shattered wilfully by antagonised clubbers of Syrian nationality, who were ejected from the club as bouncers of Eastern European origin stood their ground at the steps of the club.

Although police were on site as the brawl got underway, they made no immediate arrests. Nine days later, two of the clubbers were charged in court and accused of causing a public disturbance and smashing the façade of Havana Club in Paceville. They were granted bail.