The police are to challenge a court decree through which former police commissioner Peter Paul Zammit was listed as an “injured party” in a criminal case against a man charged with threatening police officers in 2013.

Through this decree, Mr Zammit – who during his time as commissioner had originally ordered the charges to be dropped – was allowed to question the prosecuting officer, mainly on who had ordered the charges to be issued after he left the post.

The law says that any person claiming to be an “injured party” may apply to the court to be admitted into the proceedings. If the request is accepted, the person has the right to be present at all hearings.

The police have now said they will be mounting a legal challenge against the decree. Their legal advice was that Mr Zammit did not have a legal right to appear ex parte in the proceedings. 

Asked for his reaction, Mr Zammit said the police had every right to appeal but he argued that the injured party did not necessarily need to be the alleged victim of a crime.

“It is up to the court to decide if the injured party is the person who was the victim of the action committed by the accused or if it was any person who feels aggrieved by the incident.”

Mr Zammit pointed out that last month the hunters’ federation (FKNK) appeared parte civile in the case which led to the premature closure of the spring hunting season.

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