The government and the opposition yesterday traded accusations of “political interference” as the beleaguered PN defector Cyrus Engerer said whoever leaked his police charges wanted to “destroy my reputation”.
Mr Engerer, the deputy mayor of Sliema, is charged with circulating pornographic images of his ex-boyfriend to vilify him. His lawyer, Nationalist MP Franco Debono, said he would file a judicial protest against the police and the director general of court, claiming his client’s right to a fair trial had been breached by the leak of the charges to The Times. The Labour Party has also called for an investigation into how the information reached the press.
The charges were reported on Tuesday – only days after Mr Engerer’s father Christopher was arrested for marijuana possession – prompting accusations that the Engerers were being targeted after Cyrus Engerer’s defection.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has deflected calls for the resignation of his chief of staff Edgar Galea Curmi who had phoned Police Commissioner John Rizzo and asked him to assure the lawyer in the case of Christopher father that his arrest was not politically motivated. Mr Galea Curmi is a family friend of the Engerers.
“Mr Galea Curmi sought to ascertain the facts related to Cyrus Engerer’s concerns that his father’s arrest was politically motivated and the police commissioner categorically denied this allegation, as he confirmed during his press conference,” a spokesman for the Prime Minister told The Times in response to a series of ques-tions.
“If there is anyone who must defend his position it surely is Joseph Muscat himself who demanded that his representative participates in an inquiry (called on Tuesday into the police’s handling of the cases) chaired by Judge Albert Manché. This is nothing short of interference. He also unscrupulously attacked the judiciary and found no qualms in undermining the work of the police. Dr Muscat’s comments and demands are extremely dangerous for the country and are tantamount to political interference in a public inquiry and in police investigations.”
But the Labour Party insisted it was Mr Galea Curmi who crossed a dangerous line “irrespective of his motivation” when he made the phone call, which he admitted to having made.
“In the UK a minister was forced to resign for checking on the progress of a passport application, let alone a criminal investigation,” Labour’s spokesman said.
The Times asked the Labour Party to explain how it could at the same time be claiming that the Engerer family was being targeted by Lawrence Gonzi’s government and protected by Dr Gonzi’s right hand man.
“The fact that the Prime Minister’s closest aide was involved in calling the Police Commissioner to interfere in a case does not bode well to quell any suspicions of collusion from the government or Nationalist side, be it to victimise or protect Mr Engerer,” the spokesman replied, adding that the series of events leading to the two court cases led to gross suspicion of political victimisation.
The Labour spokesman added that Mr Galea Curmi did not speak to the commissioner on administrative issues as he was now claiming but asked for something which in the commissioner’s words: “I did not feel I should do”.