The government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the repatriation of 220 Eritreans in 2002 following the allegations of torture made by some of the deportees in an Amnesty International report.

Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg said he stood by the government's decision to deport the Eritreans and maintained he had nothing to hide.

Magistrate Abigail Lofaro has been asked to look into whether the process leading to the deportation of the illegal immigrants was in line with the law and whether there was any pressure to send them back to their country of origin. The magistrate has been urged to conclude the inquiry in the "least possible time".

"Through this inquiry I want to clear my name, the Refugee Commissioner's and everyone else's," Dr Borg said.

In an interview with The Times, Dr Borg hit back at claims made by Amnesty International that he had been warned about the danger the Eritreans faced prior to their deportation in September and October 2002.

The human rights organisation last week published a damning report claiming, among other things, that a number of the deportees had been tortured upon their arrival in Eritrea.

Dr Borg provided documentation to prove that the government acted by the book in relation to the Eritreans.

He insisted that the government was not aware that the Eritreans were in any danger, contrary to claims made by some organisations, including Amnesty.

"Amnesty never told us not to send them back to Eritrea. What they did was warn us that unless their claims for protection were adequately examined, they could be at risk. Each case had to be treated on its own merits and that's exactly what we did," the minister said.

The Commissioner for Refugees had explained to each of the illegal immigrants the consequences of failing to apply for refugee status. About 50 applied and a number of them were in fact granted refugee status.

"The vast majority refused the offer to apply and kept insisting they wanted to travel to Italy. Why should we examine the cases of those who didn't ask for protection?"

Dr Borg refuted allegations made by Labour MP Joe Abela that the Eritreans had wanted to apply for refugee status and were later told that the time limit had expired. "They spent nearly eight months in Malta. Nobody put any pressure on them in any manner."

The minister added that he had full confidence in Refugees Commissioner Charles Buttigieg, a former UNHCR official.

It was worth noting, Dr Borg said, that during the past five years in the UK a total of 2,950 Eritreans had applied for asylum. Just 10.5 per cent of their applications were approved and 17 per cent were given exceptional leave. The rest were refused.

On the other hand, the Malta Commissioner's approval rate was 53 per cent. Many seeking asylum in Malta were turned down because they were economic and not political refugees.

Dr Borg said it was worth noting that the point at issue was an incident that took place in 2002. It was only last February that the UNHCR started advising governments not to send anybody to Eritrea.

A UNHCR official told The Times last week he feared the Maltese government could have acted prematurely in repatriating the Eritreans.

Asked what he made of such a statement, Dr Borg replied: "Who knows? Maybe people are washing their hands of the issue because the situation in Eritrea is now different. But they should judge us on what we did back in 2002."

He categorically denied that the UNHCR was not aware of the deportation or that they were advised to the contrary.

Emigrants Commission chairman Mgr Philip Calleja sent a letter to the UNHCR in Rome to check whether the Eritreans had any relatives in Italy, as some were claiming.

The UN representative wrote to the government saying that what the government did with respect to the Eritreans was "legitimate and appropriate".

Dr Borg is still sceptical about the torture claims made by Amnesty. "We can't verify these claims. Some are even based on hearsay of what others apparently suffered. In any case, even if the claims, made by just a handful of the 200 illegal immigrants, are correct, does that have any bearing on a decision we took 18 months earlier?" he asked.

The minister produced a letter sent by one of the deportees to the Emigrants Commission urging his fellow countrymen to return home.

Labour home affairs spokesman Gavin Gulia said in a statement later that an independent inquiry was necessary now more than ever.

Dr Gulia said that former Prime Minister and President Eddie Fenech Adami, Dr Borg and former Justice Minister Austin Gatt had been warned about the dire situation in Eritrea months before the illegal immigrants were repatriated.

"More facts are now coming to light which corroborate the claims of torture - and more doubts are cast over the operations of the Home Affairs Ministry and the institutions which fall under it."

Dr Gulia said the credibility of Dr Borg's statements was hitting rock bottom. He said the minister had a conflict of interest. "He cannot keep replying to the criticism when he himself - and his institutions - are being accused."

Pointing out that he acknowledged the problems of illegal immigration, Dr Gulia said that serious allegations levelled by international organisations could not be ignored.

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