Daughter’s use of council laptop lands mayor in court
Mayor Charles Saliba
The mayor of Żebbuġ in Gozo, Charles Saliba has resigned from the Nationalist Party to be able to better defend himself against charges of misappropriating the council’s laptop... by letting his daughter to use it to access her Facebook account.
Mr Saliba has been summoned to appear before a magistrate at the Gozo Courts to faces charges of misappropriating the council’s laptop and misusing public funds.
According to charges filed by the police, the alleged wrongdoing took place between May 2008 and January this year.
When asked, Nationalist Party information director Frank Psaila confirmed the receipt of Mr Saliba’s resignation letter and that he would remain on the Żebbuġ council as an independent mayor. He has been mayor since 2004.
In his resignation letter, Ms Saliba explained he wanted to be in a better position to defend his innocence without in any way prejudicing the party.
Sources close to the police said that when he was being questioned, Mr Saliba maintained that the laptop, purchased following approval at a council meeting in December 2007, was sometimes used by his daughter when her laptop would not be readily available.
He told the police he sometimes took the Dell laptop, purchased in May 2008 for €920, at home to be able to do council-related work, mainly replying to e-mails and dealing with council jobs. He said his personal computer at home was old and slow.
Mr Saliba, who works for Transport Malta’s Gozo office, said that although his children, a boy and a girl, had their own computers, his daughter sometimes used his if it happened to be switched on in his study. He also told the police he did not take his laptop home with him every day.
He also gave details of an incident in July last year when an internet modem at his summer residence fell off a shelf onto the laptop, damaging its monitor. The council forked out €200 to have the monitor replaced.
Also questioned by the police, Mr Saliba’s daughter is known to have explained that she only used her father’s laptop when she did not have access to hers. She insisted she would only use her father’s laptop to access her Facebook account for an average of 10 minutes.
Mr Saliba is expected to appear before the Magistrates’ Court in Gozo on September 16 to answer to the charges brought against him.
In his letter to the PN, Mr Saliba said he believed he had not done anything illegal by taking the council laptop home with him to carry on with council-related work.
The president of the Nationalist Party executive, Pierre Portelli, replied to Mr Saliba’s resignation letter, thanking him for his years of service to the party.
Mr Portelli said the PN expected high moral and ethical standards from people elected on its ticket and so appreciated Mr Saliba’s decision to suspend himself from the party to defend himself without prejudicing the party.
When contacted, Mr Saliba declined to comment.
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Albert Cocker
Aug 30th 2010, 15:08
He didn't do anything wrong.
Why aren't there any resignations and investigations going on with the power station extension?
Sean Grima
Aug 30th 2010, 08:36
much ado about nothing....the young lady has better things to do than access boring council docs!
d cini
Aug 29th 2010, 16:00
“Laws are like spiders' webs which, if anything small falls into them they ensnare it, but large things break through and escape” SOLON
d cini
Aug 29th 2010, 15:53
il politika kapaci tkun mahmuga! wara dan il-kaz fuq haga li f'pajjizna jaghmilha kulhadd...hemm il-manuvri tal-politici. ghalhekk jitwarrbu z-zghar u l-hoxnin ma jwarrabhom hadd! ghax min ghandu s-sahha jhawwel u jaghmel il-ligi wkoll!
Joe Fenech
Aug 29th 2010, 13:26
Yes, it's professional misconduct but NOTHING compared to the corrupt practices practised by many, and the incompetent decisions taken by councils.
O.Grixti
Aug 29th 2010, 13:22
What’s wrong with that? If she used her father’s laptop when she was at home for 10min, he paid for electricity. Come on be serious!
It is better to trace the big fish problem!
O Galea
Aug 29th 2010, 10:28
A storm in a tea cup. Such a criminal offence!!!!! So what's the big deal? She used her father's lap top. X'gara b'daqshekk? Qed nizolqu fin-nixef. Tal-mickey mouse. Come on...let's be sensible.
Mario Muscat
Aug 29th 2010, 08:38
Unbelievable , what a waste of taxpayers funds and resources.
albert leone ganado
Aug 29th 2010, 00:12
We have a habit of going from the sublime to the ridiculous. Not even the theatre of the absurd can reach such heights . With serious unethical cases bursting every day who do we take to justice but a mayor who let his daughter make some use at home of the council's computer which he presumably took home to do some unpaid work for the council and in so doing probably restricted internet access to his already slow daughter's computer. Making reasonable personal use of an office laptop is behaviour normally allowed and written in most companies' employer / employee contract of employment. Yes as a lecturer in ethics in IT this time I believe that what the mayor did was reasonable, ethical and acceptable.
Who knows what wasted time and expense for the officers and the courts. Are they trying to make us believe that the authorities have zero tolerance towards abuse when we smell fishy goings around us. It will take much more than ridiculous prosecutions to convince us that serious attempts are being made to clean up the whole act. Indeed such actions make us more suspicious
Joseph E Briffa
Aug 28th 2010, 22:07
I think this is the height of absurdity. A laptop is meant to be carried from one place to the other.When we used pencil and paper most top civil servants used to take official reports home, paper etc to work in their office at home over the weekends and prepare memos for their ministers. So if their children made use of a couple of sheets to scribble on, would the civil servant be brought before the courts for allowing his children to make us of government stationery?
J S Borg
Aug 28th 2010, 20:44
What shear grass stupidity. One time while I was at the IT dep in Floriana one clerk was downloading a film another had a full packload of coloured prints, of course the paper had the MG water mark on them.
My in law was so stupid that he used to bring files home with him so that he speeds up th NI claims.
Joseph Galea
Aug 28th 2010, 19:07
This reminds me of the saying that "Those whom the gods want to destroy, they first drive mad!" So the mayor's daughter accessed Facebook on her father's computer, which happened to belong to the council. So what? Tell the mayor not to let her do it again and then move on. Anything more is a waste of time and money.
Francis Borg
Aug 28th 2010, 18:53
Why is this a matter for the police for heaven's sake. Surely this could have been dealt with by the council itself as a disciplinary matter and probably more effectively without wasting police time and public funds. Govt. computers should have firewalls and protective features that stop them from being abused. The enphasis is on abuse not the use surely.
Francis Borg - Liverpool
r curmi
Aug 28th 2010, 18:32
jeez what a tragedy. Hope the mayor gets jail them for his unforgiviable sin.
Yet while this guy is get the heat over a really stupid issue ECO gozo and its crimes ar going on undisturbed...
matthew tanti
Aug 28th 2010, 17:10
well theoretically the daughter could have had access to 'sensitive' council documents (it's not as if we are talking about documents relating to NASA!) she rightly seems to have found chatting with friends on facebook more interesting....much ado about nothing!
Muscat D
Aug 28th 2010, 17:03
Why not parade them through the streets of Zebbug , pelt them with tomatoes, give the both of them 80 lashes and put them in the stocks for a month? Afterwards send these state saboteurs to a hard labour camp for 10 years.
Oops, on reading this article, for a second I thought we were living in the Democratic Peoples' Republic of North Korea.
Surely the jobsworth who made the decision taking them to court cannot be serious. It seems some people have nothing better to do. The message being sent is, don't take work / laptops home as someone, somewhere, might object to the way the laptop is being used. Each entry on the internet will have to be justified. Better safe then sorry.
The only way I can justify them being taken to court is if the daughter kept the laptop at home when it needed to be used by the council for work purposes. This doesn't seem to be the case. The mayor should bill the council for the electricity and internet connection he used at home when carrying out his work.
Daniel Camilleri
Aug 28th 2010, 16:27
coucillors stay in alert because next time our children use the council's office bathroom you should resign...NONSENSE
A. Mamo
Aug 28th 2010, 15:57
Prior to 1987 elections EFA told us "Neqred il-korruzzjoni bl-gheruq u x-xniexel". He was not only unable to destroy corruption but it is part of our everyday lives. But this is simply unbeleivable and I can't see what was wrong. And if the mayor used to take his laptop home, that what laptops are meant for.
john borg
Aug 28th 2010, 15:40
veru li jekk ghamel hsara lill laptop waqt li kien id dar tieghu u forsi kien qed jintuza privatement ma messux ressaq il kont lill kunsill!!!! mill banda l-ohra li il qorti u il pulizija tidhol ghal intietef daqshekk zghar.....meta ghandhom daqshekk xjaghamlu !!!! se jinhlew jinterrogaw tifla kemm ghamlet hin fuq facebook ?? u jekk tghid 10 minuti u wara jinstab li kienu 40 minuta ....ser tmur il habs !!!
T Camilleri
Aug 28th 2010, 17:43
john borg Take care of small things and the big things will take care of themselves.
S. Camilleri
Aug 28th 2010, 19:38
@T Camilleri.. What a joke!! What big things are taking care of themselves. Should have said, find a scrapgoat ... take an issue ... make a lot of fuss , act righteous so people will be too busy to notice what's really going on
T Camilleritk
Aug 28th 2010, 22:54
S. Camilleri you missed the point Camilleri. The small things are being taken care of (by the sharks), so that the big things (read sharks) can take care of themselves. Hope that you now understand what I meant.
D Delia
Aug 28th 2010, 15:35
This will cause a revolution. Would we be seeing all government officials and employees who are given a laptop or are on telework taken to court?
A laptop by its nature is a portable PC. Government provided laptops are often understood as 'take it at home and use it personally’. It’s taken as a perk rather than a tool.
I hope that the ones who are casting the first stones are not the ones who sinned.
J Farrugia
Aug 28th 2010, 15:19
Small fry are resigning and rightly so even if I for one, would find them not guilty of any misdemonours except for some venial sins. But the big fry the ones who are getting the millions are not. I expect action against this power station debacle and mismanaged tender. And I beleive that yes we have to pay more for electricity bills if we want it to run on gas. And no subsidies are to be given to those who cannot afford them. malta cannot afford any more subsidies to those who cannot pay but still waste a lot. Everyone has to pay his dues and in time. That's what the people want. Make it work on gas and lets fork out more. Isn';t this what labour wants?
patrick mifsud
Aug 28th 2010, 15:15
shall we arrest all those who:
1) do private calls from the office where they work
2) use the internet for private use during their working hours
3) use the car given to them by the govt, company for private use
ara veru ma fadalx x'infittxu . daqt nibdew nressqu l qorti il-mejtin ghax ta fuqu qed jintenn?
J. Schembri
Aug 28th 2010, 14:05
Are we expecting that everyone should be holier than the Pope? Don't the police have anything better to do?
I think that the Nationalist Party should defend this case shoulder to shoulder with this Mayor.Same applies to the Santa Venera Mayor who's genuine intentions were evident.
As things stand ,it won't be long that we hear that the mayor of Hal-Imgienen was sued because the dirty Flag of the council premises was not washed and lowered after sunset.
Joseph Cauchi
Aug 28th 2010, 13:21
Are we now going from the ridiculous to the absurd; and all this for PC (political correctness) sake?
JC.
J. Borg
Aug 28th 2010, 13:01
don't the police have anything better to do???
are they so oblivious of what's happening around them!!!
S. Camilleri
Aug 28th 2010, 12:45
Letting your kids make use of one's work laptop ... a crime???? M'ghandhomx x'jaghmlu l-pulizija. Guess no MP, Prime Minister or member of Parliament or even the Police Commissioner ever DARED let his wife / husband or siblings touch (horror) the device or maybe even use the employer's provided mobile (OMG... double horror!!!)
M. Grech
Aug 28th 2010, 12:40
What sheer waste of time for everyone concerned for something so trivial. Jew naqbdu maz-zghir flok ma min hu b'sahtu, biex taparsi qed nimxu retti !!
CPace
Aug 28th 2010, 12:34
Dan kollu biex naghttu l-problemi veru li hawn f'pajjizna.............
N. Bonello
Aug 28th 2010, 12:17
'Appeared before a magistrate at Gozo Courts' ! There must be more to this 'story', much more.
As they say in Maltese - either 'Raw or Burnt'.
Chris Finch
Aug 28th 2010, 12:11
So Mr Saliba resigns for this, yet JPO continues unabated. Any news also on the power station debacle? Will we expect any resignations?
What about the VAT scandal?
What about the education minister?
These other people just have no decency.
E Agius
Aug 28th 2010, 12:09
If the police check all the teacher's laptops (the one's provided by the government) would have a very big surprise ...... pajjiz tal Mickey Mouse - incriminating someone for visiting facebook !!!!!! Is this the definition of misappropriation?
A.Gatt
Aug 28th 2010, 12:06
U ejja.....what a waste of time for the law courts. This should not be a criminal offense. So she accessed facebook for a while. What's the big deal....not worth the hassle this family is going through either and the daughter probably feels really bad about landing her dad in trouble.
veru m'ghandhomx x'jghamlu !!!!
A Grima
Aug 28th 2010, 11:45
U ejja!! If that's the only reason ... veru pajjiz tal-mickey mouse!
Jenny Griggles
Aug 28th 2010, 11:35
Though this case really sound absurd, I still wish to congratulate Mr Saliba for setting an example of how real gentleman should be buy resigning from his party. What follows now resigning from Mayor or?
good luck and I hope that finally the " resignation era" will start getting it's way into Malta & Gozo.
M. Attard
Aug 28th 2010, 11:29
ok so in Gozo a person gets taken to court because his daughter used his 'work' laptop to acess facebook? Yet in Malta a person slanders another using his computer on the internet and gets a provisdional sentence. Isn't defamation and slander a more serious crime then using a social network? Clue me in on the logic please!!
T Camilleri
Aug 28th 2010, 14:18
M. Attard from what previously appeared in the media the counselors had asked many times where the laptop was and it was said that it was never at the Local Council premises. Why?
john a. ebejer
Aug 28th 2010, 10:56
By way of clarification, the comment under the name of John Ebejer was not submitted by the undersigned.
john a. ebejer , architect and urban planner.
lulu gatt
Aug 28th 2010, 10:49
Seriously!!!! fuq hekk qed jinhlew il qrati ta' Malta??!!! fis-sens minix qed nghid li ghamlet sew imma come on!!!! Ma tghidx qeghda tmur il-kunsill biex tuza l-internet access taghhom b'xejn jew li il-laptop qieghed jintuza minnha regolarment minflok jigi uzat ghall-iskop vera tieghu!! u min irraporta haga bhal din??
Ramon Casha
Aug 28th 2010, 10:20
This case is absurd. Unless there was some kind of formal agreement in place whereby he agreed not to use the laptop for anything under than work-related affairs (even at his own home), or not to let anyone else touch it, he did absolutely nothing wrong.
How about thanking him for his willingness to take his work home, even making use of the electricity and internet connectivity which he pays for out of his own pockets?
Robert Callus
Aug 28th 2010, 10:13
"Mr Portelli said the PN expected high moral and ethical standards from people elected on its ticket"
Like the Courts of Law, the PN is acting as 'strong with the weak and weak with the strong' with it's own people.
A small negligence on a laptop isn't the reason why we have to accept a dirty power station for you know what reason. Hondoq is not going to be developed into a marina because of a laptop. How about attacking the REAL issues? Ma dan ha taqbdu?
John Ebejer
Aug 28th 2010, 10:11
Is this some futile PR exercise to give the impression that the PN is being ethical and with high morals? Is this to cover certain other issues that have cropped up recently? Such as using Zaren Vassallo's yacht for a holiday? Or taking one's son to a football match on a businessman's private jet?
d baldacchino
Aug 28th 2010, 10:51
Jien rajt din l-istorja u m nafx jekk nidhakx jew nibki. Jien Nazzjonalist! Jew ahjar nghid jien kont nazzjonalist. ghax joe muscat issa vera ha nibda narah ahjar
C.Cassar
Aug 28th 2010, 17:05
@ D Baldacchino
Better late than never.
R.Borg
Aug 28th 2010, 09:54
"Daughter's use of council laptop lands mayor in court".
OF COURSE!
What does Mr. saliba pretend?
Has he never heard of the english word CONFIDENTIALITY?
His daughter might have had easy access to delicate council matters she had no right to know.
If Mr.Saliba had a caseload of work, he should have worked at the council office. The cute village of Zebbug-Gozo is not Rome or London or New York or Paris.
U halluna! Din mhijiex serjeta'!
No, I do not agree with Mr. Portelli's decision. Mr. Saliba should be honourable enough and resign.
Peter Bonnici
Aug 28th 2010, 10:02
Ever heard of password-protected documents?
Ramon Casha
Aug 28th 2010, 10:21
Actually, any ultra-sensitive documents should not be on laptops in the first place. They should be kept on secure servers and accessed remotely, never residing on the laptops themselves. Apart from this matter, laptops can and do get stolen.
Richard Muscat
Aug 28th 2010, 11:01
What 'delicate' information could there possibly be?? We're talking about Zebbug Local Council here not the European Commission!
Scerri S
Aug 28th 2010, 13:45
When will some people learn that 'tippretendi' in the sense used here does not translate into 'pretend' but rather to 'expect'? I see this silly mistake all the time and it's annoying.
T Camilleri
Aug 28th 2010, 14:16
Richard Muscat like the information that is coming out from the Sliema Local Council?
Rene Debono
Aug 29th 2010, 09:42
She's just a girl! Who is she going to leak the information to?
T Mifsud
Aug 28th 2010, 09:50
This is simply pathetic! Taking a good measure too far!
It is like the Health and Safety in the UK taken too far: Police instructed not to chase thieves on motorbikes without a helmet for fear they will hurt. Or the ethics on discrimination: Baa Baa 'Baa' sheep have you any wool? Please do not say the word 'black' in public or you get scorned if not arrested.
This is going too far. Under the PN, arts is being censored, shop manniquins are being covered like the Taliban, youths arrested at 3.30am for a discrete skin dip, beach 'moral supervisors' patrol beach for nipples ...etc etc etc
No I do not want to be suffocated anymore by this new ULTRA CONSERVATIVE Taliban attitude.
Can you imagine the guilt on the daughter of the mayor now ..... for innocently accessing facebook?
A.Stafrace
Aug 28th 2010, 09:24
is this april fool? well if its not .. the Courts have some busy time coming up :)