A member of the Fgura local council yesterday filed a judicial protest in the First Hall of the Civil Court against mayor Anthony Degiovanni and the Police commissioner.

Mark Lombardo, who was elected in representation of the Nationalist Party, said that in the course of a council meeting on Tuesday he had proposed an addition to a proposal moved by the mayor. A vote was taken on the amended motion and it resulted that it was approved by the councillors representing the Nationalist Party and by two councillors who represented the Malta Labour Party.

However, Degiovanni had refused, in total violation of democratic principles, to register the vote that had just taken place. Degiovanni had then suspended the council meeting and when the meeting resumed Lombardo insisted that the vote be registered. Degiovanni continued to refuse to do so and eventually the majority of the MLP councillors in the council had voted for Lombardo to leave the meeting.

Lombardo said he resisted what he termed as an anti-democratic, dictatorial and intimidating behaviour and Degiovanni warned he would call in the police. Three police officers in fact turned up and Lombardo claimed he was forcibly removed from the meeting even though he posed no risk to public order or to the safety of the other councillors. Lombardo said he was removed by the police solely because he had disagreed with Degiovanni. The police had therefore stopped him from fulfilling his duties as an elected local councillor for Fgura.

Lombardo said this was not the first time Degiovanni had threatened his fellow councillors. He added that Degiovanni still thought he lived in an era when the political party he represented used to intimidate its opponents and utilise the police force to destroy those who did not agree with it.

The police commissioner, Lombardo submitted, was responsible for the action of the force`s members, especially when the three officers who had removed him from the council meeting had declared they had consulted with their superiors.

The police action was more serious when one took into account the fact that he was fulfilling his legal duties as a local council and was merely exercising his democratic rights to express himself in the interests of the electorate, Lombardo said.

He called upon both the mayor and the Commissioner of police to desist from obstructing him in the exercise of his duties.

Dr Victor Scerri signed the protest.