It was all too obvious from the word go that Jason Azzopardi would be defending Police Inspector Elton Taliana, irrespective of the findings of the independent investigation ordered by Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia. His almost daily press conferences on the subject made it impossible for him to change tune once the findings of the investigation were made public.

Azzopardi’s grave mistake was made when he publicly stated he had full trust in the chairman of the Police Board but not in the rest of the members, thus suggesting that Judge Franco Depasquale could be manipulated by the members.

When the report was made public and Taliana found as deserving of disciplinary proceedings to be taken against him, Azzopardi again came out attacking the board for the report while, at the same time, declaring that he still had confidence in the chairman!

The Nationalist spokesman cannot have it both ways. He either trusts the retired judge who put his signature to that report or he does not.