MaltaPost could face legal action after a postman recently disposed of letters and parcels in Dingli instead of delivering them, a spokeswoman for the Malta Communications Authority said.
Last week, this newspaper reported that the postal services company was investigating the issue after receiving complaints from concerned residents. Confirming that the incident had occurred, a MaltaPost spokeswoman said that the company had immediately contacted the MCA to investigate, as this was the authority tasked with handling such problems.
The person responsible no longer worked for the company, according to the spokeswoman.
Although the MCA spokeswoman would not divulge any details on the investigation, when asked whether action would be taken against the former postman or the company, she said that “at this stage, nothing should be ruled out”.
Asked what the authority was doing to ensure that the incident would not be repeated, the spokeswoman said MaltaPost has a number of “Standard Operating Procedures [SOPs] in order to minimise the risk of mail integrity breaches and that any such breaches are dealt with appropriately”.
At this stage, nothing should be ruled out
She added that the communications authority would be making sure the company was following these procedures and updating them if necessary.
Meanwhile, more residents have complained to this newspaper that, although they have received an apology from the company, they were still missing some of their post – despite the fact that MaltaPost said all letters got to the intended recipients.
“I know for a fact that I was sent a letter by someone – but it never arrived. Will the company locate this mail or can we forget about ever getting it?” one resident said.
Photos shared on social media showed letters and parcels scattered on the ground at Dingli Cliffs, including hospital documents, bank statements and also junk mail. The mail was collected and taken to the Rabat police station.
According to the Postal Services Act, anyone who maliciously commits any act which prevents or delays the delivery of a postal article is guilty of an offence and, upon conviction, is liable to a fine of between €1,000 and €25,000 or to imprisonment for a term from one to 12 months, or both.