‘Our institutions have failed us’ – MHRA President slams response to naked tourist incident

“Our institutions have failed us. We can’t accept that somebody running around naked on a scooter goes to court and is given a fine. A fine? While running naked on a scooter? You should have been put in jail,” Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) President Tony Zahra said on Wednesday (today).

He was commenting on the case of 26-year-old German national Amine El Makhfi, who was arraigned in court earlier that day after being filmed riding a motorcycle completely naked through Pietà.

Footage of the incident quickly went viral on social media, attracting ridicule and raising concerns over the kind of tourism Malta is drawing.

Mr El Makhfi was charged with being indecently dressed in a public place and with reckless driving. He pleaded guilty and confirmed his admission before the court. He was handed a €1,200 fine, an additional €29 ammenda, and a six-month driving ban in Malta. He is expected to leave the country on Sunday.

Mr Zahra’s comments were made during the MHRA BOV Deloitte Q2 2025 Hospitality Performance Presentation.

“With these results it’s easy to say ‘let’s keep going where we are, we’ll always be successful.’ But it won’t unless you take care of the business,” he said.

“We need to take care of our business but of course there are institutions in place and they have to step up just like we do in the business community. We put in a lot of effort, a lot of time, a lot of money, and we take responsibility for what we do,” he continued.