Convicted criminal Charles Attard, known as Iż-Żambi, is refusing to explain his role in a meeting between the Home Affairs Ministry’s chief of staff and a man wrongly accused of carrying out a hold-up.

“I have no comment to make,” Mr Attard kept insisting to repeated questions by Times of Malta, which prompted calls by the Opposition for Silvio Scerri, the ministry’s chief of staff, to resign.

Asked why he was turning down an opportunity to set the record straight, Mr Attard replied: “Because I have nothing to say.”

His reaction comes after Opposition MP Jason Azzopardi alleged that Mr Scerri had used Mr Attard to organise a meeting with 27-year-old Darryl Borg, who was last month wrongly accused of carrying out a hold-up at a confectionery in Birkirkara.

Dr Azzopardi last week backed his claim with an affidavit from Mr Borg’s mother, Jane – who was also present at the meeting – in which she claimed her son had been approached by Mr Attard. This, according to Dr Azzopardi, indicated that Mr Attard was put up to it by the ministry.

Mr Scerri insisted he had never made contact with Mr Attard and did not even know the man. He stressed that he met the trio after Mr Borg turned up at the ministry accompanied by his mother and Mr Attard and asked for a meeting.

The missing version in the whole story has been that of Mr Attard, who could explain whether he had approached Mr Borg on his own steam or whether he acted after being approached by a third party.

The case became an instant controversy earlier this month when a second man, Roderick Grech, 22, was arraigned over the confectionery hold-up, two days after Mr Borg had been remanded in custody for the same crime.

Mr Grech admitted to the charges brought against him and was given a suspended sentence while Mr Borg was released.

The matter was then referred to the Police Board, which yesterday handed over a report on its findings to the Home Affairs Ministry and the Police Commissioner with its conclusions on the case.

mmicallef@timesofmalta.com