An Italian man who claims to have been abused by unidentified police officers, who, he says, evicted him and his flatmates out of their apartment, has filed an official complaint.
The landlady accused him of using the premises as a brothel
The officers denied the allegations, according to the police PR office, which, however, said it was investigating the matter.
Angelo Rossi, 30, had rented an apartment in Swieqi in June for 12 months but soon fell out with his landlady who eventually asked him to vacate the premises by September 11 through a letter sent by her lawyer.
In the letter, she accused him of using the premises as a brothel, causing considerable damage, sub-letting the place and failing to pay the rent.
On September 11, through his lawyer, he wrote a letter denying the allegations and informing her that he was prepared to vacate the premises by October 9.
But, at around midnight on September 17, Mr Rossi said three uniformed policemen – a police sergeant and two officers – called at his apartment and, without giving him any information or explaining why, ordered him to leave the place.
He said they were accompanied by his landlady. He was not alone at the time and there were three others inside the apartment.
Mr Rossi said that while the officers were still inside his apartment he called the Italian Embassy’s 24-hour emergency service and an official on the other end of the line asked to speak to the sergeant.
It was during the telephone conversation that Mr Rossi learnt of the sergeant’s identification number, he added.
Mr Rossi said that the sergeant refused to inspect documented evidence he provided showing that he had a right to be in the apartment. He added in his official complaint the sergeant said that the landlady had not accepted he should vacate the premises on October 9, and insisted his lease contract had expired.
According to the complaint, he was again accused of running a brothel and the officers refused to listen to his explanation.
Mr Rossi alleged that while packing up his belongings, he was slapped in the face by one of the officers, who told him not to “speak to the landlady like this”. Mr Rossi said he had only told the landlady that the items he was removing belonged to him.
According to the complaint, the tenants were also told to “go outside as soon as possible for your own good” and the sergeant told the embassy official that the case involved “public order”.
Mr Rossi said he left the premises that night and later sought legal advice from the human rights NGO Aditus.
When contacted, Aditus director Neil Falzon – who filed the complaint on behalf of Mr Rossi – questioned the legal basis on which the police evicted Mr Rossi when the matter was being addressed by his and the landlady’s lawyers.
The Times sent a series of questions to police asking whether the officers acted correctly. The police’s PR office said investigations into the case were ongoing. However, it pointed out that the officers involved had denied the allegations.
“Their version has also been corroborated by the landlady, who was present during the incident,” a spokesman said.