‘Evident that government embarked on cover-up exercise’ - Jason Azzopardi
Nationalist Party MP Jason Azzopardi says that it has become evident “that the government has embarked on a cover-up exercise in order for all the tiers of persons behind this planned execution (of Daphne Caruana Galizia) not to be revealed.”
Dr Azzopardi on Monday made some shocking statements in Parliament. The PN MP named a police sergeant who, according to his sources, had tipped off the three men accused of the journalist’s murder of their impending arrest.
Azzopardi named the ‘mole’ as PS88, Police Sergeant Aldo Cassar, who, he said, was “close” to the Labour Party and to Joseph Muscat. The PN MP said Cassar had been transferred out of the immigration unit after the Libyan medical visa racket was uncovered. He was later transferred to the Criminal Intelligence Unit, where he was privy to sensitive information about ongoing investigations and surveillance.
Dr Azzopardi had in Parliament also accused the government of “colluding with hardcore criminals,” and said that the government was covering up any tracks with the help of the intelligence services. Following Dr Azzopardi’s parliamentary speech on the adjournment, the police force later issued denials, as did an OPM spokesperson and the Malta Security Services
Azzopardi was asked by this newsroom whether, given that it seemed the sergeant was still part of the police force, the Caruana Galizia family were concerned. “The concerns are about what appears to be the government’s very apparent stalling of the investigations in order not to go up the ladder. It has become evident that the government has embarked on a cover-up exercise in order for all the tiers of persons behind this planned execution not to be revealed. In truth, a prime minister who means what he says when he says ‘no stone unturned’ would not remain silent and turn a Nelson’s eye when a member of the Opposition two weeks ago said that during the interrogation the police had known of this major leak, something also known to the government since at least the 5 December.”
Dr Azzopardi asked what the government had done since 5 December to investigate the source of the leak. “So this raises a major question. What interest does government have in not uncovering who was behind the leak of a major security operation of a high profile case? One can reach the reasonable conclusion that whoever was behind that leak had an interest in seeing that whoever was involved, higher up the chain in the organisation of the murder, remained unknown.”
Reliable police sources told The Malta Independent that during the interrogation with one of the suspects in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder trial, the police suspected that the persons arrested had been tipped off, and that the suspects were even questioned about it. Police sources said that they had even questioned one of the suspects as to why he had his partner’s phone number written on his hand when he was arrested.
Asked by The Malta Independent whether he has evidence to substantiate his allegations made in Parliament on Monday given the police denial, which for example he can present in court, Dr Azzopardi said that various police sources spoke to him under the condition of having their identity safeguarded. “I will not endanger their lives in any way whatsoever. I spoke clearly (in Parliament) with facts that cannot be denied. For example, the chronology behind the transfers from one post to another of Sgt Aldo Cassar.”
Azzopardi said: “During the visa racket investigations, why was it that a sergeant was issuing invitation letters in his name for visas to be issued through the consulate in Tripoli. Since when does a police officer issue invitation letters in his name for a Libyan person to come to Malta?”
“The fact that during the interrogation, and nobody could deny it, black on white, the inspector asks one of the accused to reveal how they knew the police were coming, and who told them.” He said that this shows that the investigators already a had a suspicion, a hint, that there was a tipoff. “This is not an invention, not a theory, it is a fact. But we are in a situation where the government does not conduct a serious public investigation as to why there was a leak on a major operation, which could have even possibly put in peril the police taking part in that operation.”
“This is a major breach of security, and puts light on the link between certain persons in the police corps and certain persons in the criminal world. More than that, there’s the cover-up by the police commissioner – and I ask whether he was acting on instructions from Castille – when the sergeant in question was transferred instead of steps having been taken against him.”
“Such a leak is not just unethical, but illegal. There are at least four different crimes committed, carrying more than three years imprisonment.”
Azzopardi, asked by this newsroom whether he had been called by the police, since his parliamentary speech, to at least go and talk to them about the information he has, said he hadn’t.
He stressed that the points he had brought up in Parliament were political and not legal, and that the accused were innocent until proven guilty.
He made reference to the denial statement in which the police had said: “It was further clarified that the steps already taken in regard to the mentioned police sergeant have nothing to do with any suggested tip-off on the operation that led the arrest of the three accused. Furthermore, the said sergeant was in no way privy to any information related to the said operation.” Azzopardi asks: “So then steps were taken. For what case, and when were they taken?”
Referring to the following part of the police statement: “As already explained to Dr Azzopardi when in his role as lawyer parte civile in the case of the three persons arraigned with the murder claimed that the Malta police had received such an allegation, no allegation was ever brought to the attention of the Malta police on a possible leak into the murder investigation,” he said it is not true. “It transpires from the interrogation transcript presented in court,” he said.
“I publically salute Inspectors Keith Arnaud and Kurt Zahra. I have nothing but sincere praise for them. They are not the problem, the problem is much higher up.”
Turning to parliamentary privilege, he said it was there so that one could say things which were of public interest, which were of importance, freely. He said he had not invented the fact that the police sergeant had been transferred from one post to another. He said he had not invented the fact that there had been a leak. An MP’s role, he said, was to speak in Parliament. “If an MP cannot speak of issues of national and public importance in Parliament, then what is the point of being an MP? What is important is to make political arguments, and I made clear I was speaking from a political aspect, not a legal one.”
“I also completely refute the claim that what I said could hinder investigations (as stated by the police). It’s a red herring. Tell it to the marines.”
Questions had also arisen as to how Government Head of Communications Kurt Farrugia had tweeted a certain denial prior to the police statement. Farrugia had said “Informed @azzopardijason allegations in Parliament are lies. One should ask why a lawyer in the #DCG case chose the cover of Parliamentary immunity to reveal things instead of law courts,” prior to the police issuing their official statement.
Azzopardi had, following that tweet, published a tweet of his own which read: “Dear Kurt Farrugia, sorry to disappoint but you are wrongly informed. Can you tell us who informed you? Which @MaltaPolice official spoke to a Government official tonight? Where’s the @MaltaPolice pr denial?” In response to this, Farrugia then said: “Dear @AzzopardiJason, you are an irresponsible politician and an unethical lawyer. I have every right to be informed, and I confirm you are a liar hiding behind parliamentary privilege.” The police statement was issued soon after.