Police Commissioner explains how Vassallo was informed about the arrest warrants
The Police Commissioner in a statement this afternoon said a sergeant at Sliema police station informed AD leader Harry Vassallo about the arrest warrants issued against him when he went to his office to make inquiries about a burglary.
The Commissioner explained that on October 15, 2007 the police received two arrest warrants issued by the Courts on September 27, 2007 against Dr Vassallo over unpaid fines which had been converted into a prison term.
On October 18, 2007 the two warrants were sent to the Sliema police for execution.
They were handed to the sergeant at Sliema police station on November 12 but were not executed.
Since this sergeant was no longer posted at Sliema, on February 7 the warrants were handed to another sergeant.
On March 1 this sergeant was involved in investigations into a burglary in Sliema. Since Dr Vassallo's family had vacant property close to where the burglary took place, the sergeant, as was the norm, felt he needed to speak to Dr Vassallo to establish whether there was access from the Vassallo property to the property where the burglary took place.
After having phoned Dr Vassallo, the sergeant on Wednesday called on Dr Vassallo at his office..
Once he was going there, the sergeant felt he should also speak to Dr Vassallo about the arrest warrants.
According to the sergeant and the constable who accompanied him, they spoke to Dr Vassallo about their investigations into the burglary as well as the warrants. They asked Dr Vassallo to regularise his position instead of them having to proceed with the arrest as authorised by the court.
The meeting had been a very cordial one and matters stopped there, the police said.
Both the sergeant and the police constable categorically denied having communicated with a Media.link journalist or anybody else about the case. They also volunteered to make a sworn statement about the case,
The Commissioner said he was asking the chairman of the Police Board, Judge Franco Depasquale, to hold an inquiry into the case.
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In Discussion
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Philip Galea
Mar 6th 2008, 16:42
Thia ia a well calculated stunt by AD. They hope to gain political sympathy just 3 days before election. Come on Mr.Vassallo, pay up or pay the consequences. I don't know why Presidential pardons are asked for in cases like this. Are certain people above the law ? Is it the man in the street who always pays the full price ?
T.Galea
Mar 6th 2008, 16:39
Wow Harry what a performance, You should take up acting for next Christmas Panto. Tell us who your mentor is ? Freddy? All you need now are some singing lessons from Michael
Claudia Formosa
Mar 6th 2008, 16:38
The facts given by the Police totally differ from those given by Harry Vassallo.
Clearly someone is not saying the truth.
Given that Dr Vassallo didn't even refer to anything more than heroically resisting arrest, I think I know who is.
MArk Busuttil
Mar 6th 2008, 16:37
Go One Harry, you do not submit the return, get charged, convicted, remain free due to an oversight, then issue a press conference with your children playing the victim.
J Castillo
Mar 6th 2008, 16:34
The Times reported 'On October 18, 2007 the two warrants were sent to the Sliema police for execution.
They were handed to the sergeant at Sliema police station on November 12 but were not executed. '
This must be one big Police Station.
Then on 7th Feb the warrants were given to another sergeant who on the 1st March (almost one month later) happened to investigate a burglary close to HV vacant property. Then this sergeant, almost casualy, decided that while he is going to discuss the burglary he might as well mention the prison warrant. So far although almost unbelievable the commissioner has the benefit of the doubt, but a journalist was more efficient than the police force.
So shouldn't the commissioner explain this inefficiency in terms of the casual attitude shown by the police force towards a prison warrant and also how journalists got to know about the warrants. So much for Data Protection!!
Seychell Michael
Mar 6th 2008, 16:33
My first negative impression of Dr. Vassallo was when George Pullicino went to San't Antnin in M'Scala to debate the project with the residents. It was no surprise to me that the Socialists acted the way they did at the time. What surprised me on that occasion was that Harry Vassallo joined the fray not only by shouting but also for standing up leaning forward with a stretched arm and pointing finger at George Pullicino. I had at the time written in the Times that Vassallo's action was tantamount to inciting, since as a lawyer he should have known that joining a hostile crowd by throwing further ammunition at the head of the table, could have easily been the spark that was needed at that moment.
In this case I find it very difficult to believe that a person who is in the corridors of the Law Courts quite often due to his profession, would not know that a warranthad been issued against him five months ago! If this was the case than I would conclude that Dr. Vassallo do not have at least one friend from his colleagues nor from any other court officer. Now that we heard the Police Commissioner's press release my conclusions are that Harry Vassallo and Alternativa Democratika are no different from the Socialists who would do everything to win a few votes!
Renato J. Costigan
Mar 6th 2008, 16:33
Dr. Harry Vassallo or someone from the AD or even the foreign greens, we are waiting for a reply and you have up to midnight to explain this kind of frame up. If not, I appeal to those who are voting to AD/MLP or others to revoke their decision and vote for PN as this is the only party who safeguards DEMOCRACY.
There is again a smell of the 80's
Michael Vella
Mar 6th 2008, 16:31
Will Harry run bawling to the EGP this time round?
And will Fred retract last night's speech?
REUBEN ZAMMIT
Mar 6th 2008, 16:28
Dr.Vassallo! Was under the impression that you where much more honest! Made you a distinct politician. But apparently the MLP mudslinging fever struck you heavily. No wonder a possible coalition MLPAD
Albert Galea
Mar 6th 2008, 16:24
As I wrote in my last comment, who stood to gain from all this spin:
1. AD
2. MLP
3. PN
This clearly indicated who orchestrated this storm in a tea-cup!!! Pathetic.
And what is worst, is all of you who immediately blamed Gonzi of running a police-state, throwing innocent people into prison, being the third gun-men behind the grassy knoll, etc. When it was AD and the “innocent” environmentalist who spun all this for his gain and to the PN’s detriment. Whoever could not see this is truly lacking in political common sense.
Get a grip. Vote on facts.
Is Malta better off? Yes or NO?
With Gonzi as PM are you worried about your job, livelihood, children's future, health care, the country’s finances, etc.? If you are vote for change, if not vote GONZI.
But what about corruption? Maybe there is, but have any of us seen any proof of anything? Has anybody been sent to court or put behind bars. In all these years as leader of the opposition and as Prime Minister how many cases of corruption has Sant managed to expose that ended up seeing the inside of a court room? As PUBLIC ENEMY once sang: “DON’T, DON’T, DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE” (great hip hop album: “It takes a nation of millions to hold us back” no pun intended)
But seriously DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE and vote on facts. Whether you know it or not, YOU are better off. Fact.
Vote for Sant and maybe you will be worrying about your job, livelihood, kids, etc. Look what Sant did to our economy in only 24 months in power.
Ronnie Busuttil
Mar 6th 2008, 16:24
One would have expected the Police to act impartially and with a bit of common sense in this case. Another storm in a teacup. Will be glad when it's all over. We will all need a good bath with all this mudslinging.
CATherine Desira
Mar 6th 2008, 16:23
I hope that you all out there are staring at the whole truth in the face now ! - There's only one Real Leader that is honest and can be trusted and his name is Dr. Lawrence Gonzi. On Saturday - vote for real honesty - vote PN.
Renato J. Costigan
Mar 6th 2008, 16:19
TO ALL THOSE POINTING THEIR FINGER TO THE -- PN
Don't forget if you point your finger to anyone you have another THREE pointed at you.
SHAME ON YOU
SHAME TO YOU ALL
As it is said in our lovely Maltese language.
I Z - Z E J T J I T LA F' W I C C L - I L M A
Charles Camilleri
Mar 6th 2008, 16:19
why were the police so lenient with Dr. Vassallo? why did it take them nearly 8 months to execute the warrants. why did the second sergeant waited for the burglary case to talk to Dr. Vassallo?
Something is fishy and the people wants the whole truth.
David Magri
Mar 6th 2008, 16:18
So one fine day the seargent wakes up after a long sleep (of about 4 months - he had the warrants in hand since November) and says to himself 'Elections are approaching and the PN seem to be in trouble, let me just see how I shall spoil this AD surge'.
One other point.... have the NET crew opened officed at the Sliema Police Station of late? This would explain how they knew of the arrest prior to Dr. Vassallo himself. Or maybe someone can explain this coincidence????
Sandy Micallef
Mar 6th 2008, 16:17
Oh great, so now that the Police commissioner has assured us that the police force took 5 months to serve the arrest warrants, we can all lie back and relax! This still doesn't answer 2 fundamental questions:
1) who is accountable for this 5 month delay?
2) who leaked the info to the PM and the PN?
For both the above, I see that there is a link between what actually happened (as decribed by the commissioner) and the PN. Firstly, if the police force is so inefficient, why didn't the Minister address this - God forbid that the police force are so slow when dealing with dangerous criminals...wo whether Harry's case was an exception or the norm, the minister and ultimately the PN are responsible for this 5 month delay...
carmel callus
Mar 6th 2008, 16:17
The truth now is that Harry Vassallo tried to play a dirty game. Il-buzzieqa nfeqghet f'wiccu!
G Fsadni
Mar 6th 2008, 16:12
Oh my oh my! So let's enact this. The police go to his office to investigate a robbery next door to him; while they were there, knowing the public persona Harry is, they suggest "..mhux ahjar thallas dawn il-multi biex ma naqilawx l-inkwiet.....?"
The police leave the buliding and Harry concocts a cunning plan....press conference, family, lights, cameras - ACTION.
Harry Vassallo's crediibility is shot. He should be ashamed of himself!
Guzeppi Grech
Mar 6th 2008, 16:12
Still smells like a COVER-UP
Claudia Formosa
Mar 6th 2008, 16:10
So the bubble is burst.
Harry Vassallo isn't going to jail, after all.
What guile to mislead so blatantly! I thought much better of Dr Vassallo.
Albert Galea
Mar 6th 2008, 16:09
.... Harry Vassallo owns empty properties, that are not being put to good use?
only kidding, but it is a bit ironic isn't it.
mario zammit
Mar 6th 2008, 16:09
" Is-sewwa Jirbah Dejjem!"
john fenech
Mar 6th 2008, 16:08
Dr.Vassallo is expecting the general public who read or heard about his misadventure to believe that he is innocent of knowingly breaking the law. Since he is aspiring to be a minister I am eager to trust his version of the truth. Although after reading this report I must confess that the chronological account of his truth is some what obscure!
Even so I will not judge him but, shouldn’t he stop and reflect about those who will gain from this misadventure. One his supporters will vote for the AD irrespective of the substance of this case. Two since he is the victim in all probability he or his party stand to get more votes from the PN.
So DR.Vassallo you are surely not that politically naive to believe that a political Party will bite its nose to spite its face ...probably there is better saying in Maltese!!
mifsud M
Mar 6th 2008, 16:07
So it goes like this:-
1st sergeant forgot to tell him;
2nd sergent, on the eve of election, told him by coincidence.
I mean, is this the way "jail warrants" are being handled?
Jail warrants are a pretty serious thing, right?
This continue to ruin PN as it shows police force is a mess......
apart from the fact that I find it hard to believe that these were actually the true reasons.
Albert Galea
Mar 6th 2008, 16:07
As I wrote in my last comment, who stood to gain from all this spin:
1. AD
2. MLP
3. PN
This clearly indicated who orchestrated this storm in a tea-cup!!! Pathetic.
And what is worst, is all of you who immediately blamed Gonzi of running a police-state, throwing innocent people into prison, being the third gun-men behind the grassy knoll, etc. When it was AD and the “innocent” environmentalist who spun all this for his gain and to the PN’s detriment. Who ever could not see this is truly lacking in political common sense.
Get a grip. Vote on facts.
Is Malta better off? Yes or NO?
With Gonzi as PM are you worried about your job, livelihood, children's future, health care, the country’s finances, etc.? If you are vote for change, if not vote GONZI.
But what about corruption? Maybe there is, but have any of us seen any proof of anything? Has anybody been sent to court or put behind bars. In all these years as leader of the opposition and as Prime Minister how many cases of corruption has sent managed to expose that ended up seeing the inside of a court room? As PUBLIC ENEMY once sang: “DON’T, DON’T, DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE” (great hip hop album – little anecdote)
But seriously DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE and vote on facts. Whether you know it or not, YOU are better off. Fact.
Vote for Sant and maybe you will be worrying about your job, livelihood, kids, etc. Look what Sant did to our economy in only 24 months in power.
John Mary Attard
Mar 6th 2008, 16:03
Shame on you Dr Vassallo for this stage managed martyrdom. It shows truly how AD is in bed witht he MLP with all those crocodile tears coming out yesterday from the MLP.
This makes me more resolute that I have to put my vote to the PN and Dr Gonzi.
However there is a lot of explaining to be done from the police how something sitting in a drawer since November 07 goes out now on the eve of the elections.
It is good that the commissioner has passed this over to a judge to investigate further.
K Xuereb
Mar 6th 2008, 16:00
@ Paul Vella.
I do believe the public is gullible. Almost half of the population (hopefully not more) believes a man who says will halve the surcharge on utilities in 2008 when oil is $100 + dollars a barrel.
Doubly gullible when considering that the same wannabe PM, when he had a shot at governing, had almost TRIPLED the utility RATES (not surcharge - a very important distinction) when the price of oil was roughly 10% of what it is today.
Dr Sant is hoping to repeat the 1996 fluke by promising panaceas (surcharge 2008/ VAT 1996) and slandering at will (JPO and others 2008/ Michael Frendo 1996)
Hopefully, the electorate knows better than to trust him this time round.
C. Valletta
Mar 6th 2008, 16:00
Finally, an end to this saga. Will Mr Vassallo please explain to all of us why he did a press conference stating that he wasinformed about the court order but at the same time he did not inform us why did the police went to visit him in the first place??
also quoting from AD press release "Din in-nasba ilha tinhema ghal hames xhur billi minflok gejt avzat immedjatament b'li kien sehh il-qorti" ..........so here we should believe that Harry Vassallo was summoned to court and did not even took an intrerest to know the final verdict....Maybe i am an ordinary citizen but I am not stupid. The way Mr Vassallo deals with his Vat returns is his problem but to use a visit by a police constable to investigate a neighbouhood theft and remindind him to regularise his position, as a political stunt and vote catching exercise is disgusting.
Mike Farrugia
Mar 6th 2008, 15:57
Dear Dr. Vassallo,
can you or someone from AD please inform us if this is the truth.
If this is not the truth you should open a libel to the Comissioner of Police.
But I have a feeling that the police commisioner is right in this story.
John Schembri
Mar 6th 2008, 15:57
Why no mention of the theft in Harry's version of happenings? This is getting dirty.
Charles Camilleri
Mar 6th 2008, 15:57
The Commissioner of Police failed to tell us in the first place why the sargeant failed to execute the warrants and what actions are contemplating against him for this failure. The whole episode shows complete lack of efficiency by the police force which has caused all this trouble. Someone is accountable for all this mess.
Joseph Aquilina
Mar 6th 2008, 15:54
Of course the AD and (mostly) MLP supporters will soon come screaming that the commissioner is corrupt. They will not admit that facts show that HV tried to gain a political advantage out of all this!
Michael Porter
Mar 6th 2008, 15:53
We now need TWO trays of pies!!
Guzeppi Grech
Mar 6th 2008, 15:53
eh? what? October 18 sent to Sliema police station, November 12 handed to sergeant at same police station! Does it take almost 1 month to hand over papers from one cop to another in the same police station? And then what? Not executed! Then a transfer of the sergeant and it took another 3 months until someone said...ah..yes, we have these warrants, lets tell good old Harry about them now, since we're going there anyway.
Sound like a joke, but smells more like a COVER-UP.
Investigate seriously please.
Joe Martinelli
Mar 6th 2008, 15:52
Now that we have what appears to be a reasonable explanation from the Police Commissioner himself, as to what happened in the Dr. Vassallo saga, clearly excluding the involvement of the NP, a new question arises.
How much more time will be given to Dr. Vassallo to 'regularize' his position with regard to the outstanding fines?
Would it be advisable for Dr. Vassallo to procrastinate further? Should the MLP form the next government, would Dr. Vassallo be their 'zero tolerance' victim?
Is evasion of paying fines not some form of corruption?
Mario Gauci
Mar 6th 2008, 15:48
Now we have it from the horse's mouth..... Nobody went to take poor old Harry to prison! Who are you trying to kid Dr. Harry Vassallo? Trying to take political advantage at this late hour shows that you are using MLP's tactics. Shame on you.
Joseph Mifsud
Mar 6th 2008, 15:46
So now we know the whole truth & not Harry's part of the story. After all that has been said, can anybody now points his finger to the PN?
Keith Chircop
Mar 6th 2008, 15:42
What a coincidence! The arrest warrant crossed the seargant's mind a couple of hours after a NET TV journalist + cameraman broke the news to Harry Vassallo.
Anna Borg
Mar 6th 2008, 15:41
I think Harry Vassallo owes us an explanation. I'd like to see what he has to say about this!
Elaine Sultana
Mar 6th 2008, 15:40
Thanks a lot Dear Commissioner. You really clarified the situation. What was the first segeant waiting for back in November? And this second felt the need to tell him on an occasion which arose by coincedence? I think this left me more perplexed than it clarified the situation
Joseph Aquilina
Mar 6th 2008, 15:38
The police tried to make him a favour and he used them to gain a political advantage - what a great leader!
David Buttigieg
Mar 6th 2008, 15:38
In other words a cheap stunt by AD to try and make a martyr out of Vassallo - Pathetic!!!
Obviously Sant tries getting what he can but I think this will backfire on both AD and Sant
Andrew Sciberras
Mar 6th 2008, 15:37
Ha! Ha! I predicted exactly this sixteen and a half hours ago!:
Andrew Sciberras (16 hours, 26 minutes ago)
I shall not be at all surprised if in the coming hours we hear of some obscure Police inspector having freshly made a sworn affidavit attesting to the fact that he deliberately kept the jail order in his drawer with the full intention of executing it two days before the election. Rather stupid of said Police inspector to inform Net News of his intention though don’t you think?
So deja-vu!
What’s more this does not explain how the Medialink journalists knew what was to happen four hours later and how a story appeared about this, which story was subsequently deleted when the great brains at Dar Centrali realized their gaffe!!
Mario Debono
Mar 6th 2008, 15:31
What a storm in a teacup this was, and how cleverly milked by AD in order to make a martyr out of Harry. He has lost my respect. And as for the MLP, then they have not had the decency to refrain from commenting on this issue.
Noel Barry
Mar 6th 2008, 15:31
Where are you all those who put the blame on the PN. I hope that you will have the guts to reverse all what has been said, now that the truth is out. PN will win the election.
Paul Vella
Mar 6th 2008, 15:30
How pathetic! I can't believe my eyes when reading this! Does somebody believe that the Maltese people are gullible this much!
Ray Bezzina
Mar 6th 2008, 15:29
Now I guess Harry will retract his conspiracy theory, or would he??!!
peter portelli
Mar 6th 2008, 15:29
so finally we get the truh about Mr Vassallo's saga and "pity me" show of last night !!
Now can somone tell us why on earth did AD decide to invent such a story yesterday about something that according to the Police Commissioner's statement did not happen ?
Why was AD so prompt to stage a pitiful press conference ?
is this the way Ad intends getting elected into Parlaiment ?
Shame on you !!
Thought you were above these dirty political games.
I stand by the Police Commissioner's statement.
Thank you Dr Gonzi for showing us what integrity is all about.
P. Portelli
angele galea
Mar 6th 2008, 15:25
Vote for HV for he will take you for a long nice ride!!!!!!