The police have issued a series of charges against Sliema deputy mayor Cyrus Engerer, accusing him of keeping and/or circulating pornography and computer misuse.
Mr Engerer, 29, is also accused of vilifying Marvic Camilleri, a former employee of the Nationalist Party and a former member of the PN youth movement (MŻPN).
The news emerges 10 days after Mr Engerer, also a former MŻPN member, defected from the PN to join Labour, following Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi’s decision to vote against the divorce Bill in Parliament. Mr Engerer is a vociferous campaigner for divorce and gay rights.
The development also comes just one day after Malta Today reported that Mr Engerer’s father Chris, who owns a beach club in Sliema, was arrested after police caught him smoking marijuana outside his home.
According to Malta Today, three plainclothes policemen, claiming they were interested in buying his property, raided his beach club and home but found no other drugs.
His son’s alleged crimes are said to have been committed between December 2009 and January 2010.
The charge sheet, which was seen by The Times, includes lifting, copying, modifying and outputting data, software or backup documentation from a computer without authorisation.
It is not known which computer is being referred to.
The charge sheet then goes on to accuse him of distributing, manufacturing, printing, importing, obtaining, keeping or circulating pornographic or obscene items.
The police go on to advise the court to provide for the safety of Mr Camilleri and his family in case Mr Engerer is found guilty, quoting Article 382A of the Criminal Code which talks about restraining orders.
When contacted, Mr Engerer preferred not to comment.
Mr Engerer resigned from the PN on July 15 after calling for Dr Gonzi’s resignation on Facebook. He said: “The Nationalist Party persists in being conservative and my principles are in conflict with it. So I could not remain a member.”
He decided to remain an independent member of the Sliema local council, becoming the third elected PN candidate to do so.
The Sliema council has been riddled with problems over the past 18 months.
Former mayor Nikki Dimech was deposed over allegations of bribery while other councillors, Martin Debono (Labour) and Yves Bobby Calì (PN), were investigated by the police over council laptops which were returned without hard drives.
Former Nationalist councillor Sandra Camilleri had resigned from the PN after she felt bullied by her party’s general secretary Paul Borg Olivier over the vote of no confidence in Mr Dimech, who always insisted he was framed.
Mr Engerer became deputy mayor after he fronted the motion of no confidence in Mr Dimech but was originally challenged by Labour councillors and Nationalist Edward Cuschieri who signed a vote of no confidence in Mr Engerer and was later forced by his party to retract.