Two local councillors from the plagued Sliema council yesterday resigned from their respective parties to clear their names after The Times reported that the police had filed criminal charges against them.
But Yves “Bobby” Calì (Nationalist) and Martin Debono (Labour) have insisted on keeping their seats as “independent” councillors. This means the former PN-stronghold now has more independent councillors than Nationalists due to a series of other resignations over the past months.
The most recent was that of deputy mayor Cyrus Engerer who defected from the PN to Labour but said he would act as an independent on the council. The police have since filed charges against Mr Engerer over the circulation of pornographic images.
Of the 11 councillors, there are now four Nationalists (including mayor Joanna Gonzi), two Labourites and five officially belonging to neither party.
Mr Calì and Mr Debono were arrested in January over suspicious behaviour regarding two council laptops. Soon after their interrogation, they had complained about having been strip-searched by the police. Some months later they claimed the police had decided to drop the case but the police denied they were off the hook.
When asked for an update on the case, the police said charges had been filed but gave no further details, even when pressed for a copy of the charge sheet. It is understood that charges were filed almost two weeks ago.
Just after 9 a.m. yesterday, the Nationalist Party issued a statement saying Mr Calì informed them of his resignation from all his roles within the party so he could defend his case without “compromising” the PN.
When contacted, the Labour Party said Mr Debono would also be resigning, something Mr Debono himself confirmed when contacted.
The police case against the two councillors revolves around two laptops the council accountant had asked about during a meeting. Although they were being used by Mr Calì and Mr Debono, the councillors did not say so during the meeting. The next day they returned the laptops without their hard disks and power supply. Mr Debono had said the hard disks were not bought with council money.
This latest story has continued to infuriate Sliema residents whose council has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons for more than a year. Some even suggested fresh elections are called to replace the councillors.
Former mayor Nikki Dimech was last year charged with bribery in a case that is still pending. He was ousted from his role as mayor but remained an independent councillor. Former PN councillor Sandra Camilleri also became independent due to her party’s handling of the Dimech case.