Government stays away from wartime spy case

The government has no intention of getting involved in the contentious case of Carmelo Borg Pisani, the only Maltese man executed during the war after being found guilty of treason.

Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg has confirmed that the man's remains were transferred from Corradino prison to the Addolorata Cemetery in 1979.

Borg Pisani was sentenced to death on November 28, 1942 by a Maltese court after he was captured during a spying mission to Malta.

There are those who consider Borg Pisani to be a traitor who had conspired with the Italians during wartime. There are, however, others who think otherwise and want to grant him a proper burial.

Dr Borg said the matter was a "closed case". He said it was worth noting that the Borg Pisani case was decided through a trial and there was no reason at all to reopen the matter.

The minister denied that the Italian government had at any time put pressure on the Maltese government to release Borg Pisani's remains or to give him an appropriate burial.

It was only a number of individuals, including Italian author and head of the political science department at the University of Genova, Giulio Vignoli, that were putting pressure, he explained.

Contrary to the belief of many, Dr Borg said he was informed that the remains of Borg Pisani and of other convicted criminals had been transferred 24 years ago.

A former prison official recently told The Times Borg Pisani's remains had been transferred to the cemetery's Osseria Comune - a common grave - but identifying them would be a very difficult task.

The Times asked the Health Department, which is directly responsible for administering the cemeteries, to check whether his exact location may be disclosed.

Joseph Meli, head of the Comitato Commemorazione Carmelo Borg Pisani, said that the least the authorities could do, "if anything for history's sake", was to state the exact location of his remains.

"We're not doing this to hold some yearly pilgrimages. All we want is to rehabilitate him," Mr Meli said, adding that a grave, which could hold Borg Pisani's remains, has already been earmarked.

Last year, the committee, which still regularly organises Mass for the repose of his soul, tried to get access to the last known tomb of Borg Pisani at the prisons but was refused entry on grounds of security.

It was important to eliminate the "myth" that Borg Pisani was a traitor, Mr Meli argued, and for him to be granted a proper burial. "We have to remember that during the war we were under occupation."