The police have absolved Home Affairs Ministry chief of staff Silvio Scerri of accusations he was behind an alleged plot to murder his estranged partner’s boyfriend.
In an uncharacteristically prompt and long reply to this newspaper’s queries, the police confirmed Mr Scerri was not being investigated on allegations that he had commissioned someone to murder boxer Scott Dixon in 2011.
“At this stage Mr Scerri is being considered a victim not a suspect,” the police said when asked whether Mr Scerri was still under investigation.
The police, which fall under the same ministry, explained that the investigation into the alleged conspiracy to kill Mr Dixon had turned into an investigation of an alleged false report as far back as 2012.
Officers continued to investigate the possibility of a false report lodged against him
Mr Scerri was appointed chief of staff at the Home Affairs Ministry after last year’s election.
Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia has stood by his secretariat’s top official, telling this newspaper earlier this week that the allegations against Mr Scerri were false.
In November 2011, TV presenter Stephanie Chircop, the mother of Mr Scerri’s children, and Mr Dixon had filed a police report against Mr Scerri. They claimed to have video evidence of a Polish man, saying he was commissioned by Mr Scerri to kill Mr Dixon.
‘Clear’ from evidence Scerri not involved in boxer plot
In August 2012, newspaper Illum ran a story saying that Ms Chircop was being investigated by the police over a frame-up and criminal conspiracy.
Ms Chircop filed libel proceedings against the newspaper and the matter resurfaced this week as the case continued in court with the testimony of police inspector Chris Pullicino.
The officer testified the plot to kill Mr Dixon “might be” stemming from a false report but investigations were still under way, leaving it open as to whether Mr Scerri was still being considered a suspect.
However, in their replies to this newspaper the police said Mr Scerri was only questioned at the initial stages of the investigation.
The police said that on April 21, 2012 they questioned a person who was alleged to have been ordered to kill Mr Dixon but he completely ruled out Mr Scerri as a suspect in the case.
The police reiterated what the Home Affairs Ministry told this newspaper that forensic evidence, including CCTV footage, “clearly demonstrated” that Mr Scerri was not involved in the case.
“The evidence at hand indicates that, if there was a commission to murder Scott Dixon, Mr Scerri was not that person... the police continued to investigate the possibility of a false report lodged against Mr Scerri,” the police said.
A magisterial inquiry that started when the allegations against Mr Scerri were filed is still pending.
kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com