Former prison warden Anthony Mifsud today appealed from a judgment of the First Hall of the Civil Court over compensation he was given after having been beaten up at police headquarters in 1982, saying that the compensation was inadequate.

Mr Mifsud had been arrested in 1982 on suspicion of having been involved in the escape from prison of two prisoners. He was tortured in police headquarters, arraigned in court, kept under preventive arrest for three years, and then acquitted of all charges.

A court late last month awarded him compensation of €186,349.87 to be paid by former Police Superintendents Carmelo Bonello and Joseph Psaila, the Commissioner of Police and former police commissioner Dr Lawrence Pullicino. However Mr Mifsud said that given the gravity of the case and the delay in the court's decision, compensation of €1.16 million would be more appropriate.

The First Hall of the Civil Court had concluded that Mr Mifsud had been tortured while in police custody and that he had been unlawfully detained for more than twice the legal limit of 48 hours before arraignment.

Mr Mifsud said he had not been adequately compensated for these violations. Had he continued in his job as a prison warden or in any other job earning a minimum wage in the period between June 1982 and June of this year, he would have earned far more that the sum awarded to him by the first court. Furthermore, the delay in the court proceedings had also been prejudicial to him.

Mr Mifsud requested the Constitutional Court to increase the compensation to €1.16 million.