What the Sunday papers say…

MaltaToday reveals how Frank Psaila, the senior civil servant in Gozo until 2005, was told to retire after alerting then Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi about serious interference by former Minister Giovanna Debono’s private secretariat in the workings of the civil service.

The newspaper reports that Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has not yet been given concrete details of new citizens who have purchased a Maltese passport under the Individual Investor Scheme, while in another story the newspaper reads that a case claiming mistreatment at Corradino Correctional Facility highlighted allegations of widespread theft of foreign inmates’ belongings from prison.

Sunday newspaper Illum quotes Marc Sant, the president of the local councils’ association, in saying that the process of the provision of funds to local councils was shady. On the backpage, it says the Gozo General Hospital is earmarked for privatisation, with the hospital – or at least part of it – reported to be converted into a specialised hospital.

In another story, the newspaper reports that the Nationalist Party is seeking to regain its majority in the local councils of St Paul’s Bay, Safi, and Xaghra and Qala in Gozo.

The Sunday Times of Malta says Nour Hamid – the prime suspect in the murder of 36-year-old Silvana Muscat – purchased the knife on the same day of the attack, while in another story, the newspaper reports that two members of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have been blamed for the wrongful arraignment of Daryl LukeBorg.

The Malta Independent on Sunday says former Enemalta chairman Tancred Tabone held two $2.9 million in two Swiss accounts, while the newspaper also states that Tabone had been planning a $200 million deal for “water and petrol supply.”

It-Torca says a former official in Dolores Cristina’s Education ministry took decisions on the Smart Card scheme arbitrarily and was paid for meetings that he never attended.

Nationalist organ il-mument says a Maltese man – 31-tear-old Geoffrey Farrugia – was kidnapped in Libya approximately 15 months ago before being released after a ransom was paid to a militia.

Kullhadd quotes newly-appointed Bishop Charles Scicluan in saying the Church is open to dialogue on the use of contraceptives.