The wife of a man wrongfully convicted of having molested his daughter is pleading to the Justice Minister to review the law that keeps her husband in chains even after his release.
Speaking to the Sunday Times of Malta, Desiree Camilleri said she would not rest until her husband’s name was cleared: “I don’t have money, but I will do whatever it takes to seek justice.”
Emanuel Camilleri, her husband, spent more than a year in jail on false accusations, later withdrawn, that he had molested his daughter. His name remains on the paedophile register and he is still registered as a convicted criminal.
His lawyer, Tonio Azzopardi, said the authorities should have ensured the law was changed with urgency so that he would be pronounced innocent.
Desperate, the couple sent an emotional letter to Shadow Justice Minister Jason Azzopardi, parts of which were read in Parliament last Tuesday. “When will my life be given back to me?” Mr Camilleri asked.
On Thursday, the Opposition filed a Private Member’s Bill giving the Criminal Appeal Court the power to re-investigate cases where fresh evidence indicates that justice has been badly administered.
The couple have instituted a constitutional case to clear Mr Camilleri’s name but are frustrated at how long it is taking to conclude since it keeps being postponed.
Meanwhile, Ms Camilleri told this newspaper about the hardship they face. “He is still in prison, only outside the walls…we cannot leave home. If we go for a walk, people often stare at us. Once, we were driving and stopped at the traffic lights. The driver of the car next to us looked at us and asked whether the person next to me was the person who had abused his daughter,” she said. Her husband cannot find a job because of his record. He was even refused when trying to volunteer for an NGO.
He is asked for his police conduct certificate but in his case it comes with three handwritten pages he is ashamed to present.
“He tried to re-join MCAST, where he was a teacher before he was unjustly declared guilty of child abuse. He was asked to submit a CV but there was no reply.
“He loves teaching, but he is unemployable because his name remains on the paedophile register,” Ms Camilleri said.
The couple cannot travel either, because they do not have the money needed for a guarantee.
“Our situation is worse than those on parole, because they can travel anywhere in Europe as long as they inform their social worker. We have to file a request in court and if accepted we have to place a guarantee,” she added.
Mr Camilleri’s past continues to haunt him despite his innocence. His wife says comments continue to upset her. “They tell me not to embarrass the country. They forget his name has been tarnished unjustly,” she added.
Mr Camilleri was condemned to two years’ imprisonment, confirmed on appeal, for allegedly sexually abusing his daughter.
He was released by order of the Constitutional Court after spending 400 days in jail when it was shown that his daughter was told by her mother to give false evidence. The mother is facing perjury proceedings.
In 2014, the Sunday Times of Malta spoke to Mr Camilleri in prison while he awaited judgment on his release. His current wife stood by him then as she does now. “I will not give up,” she insisted.
Justice Minister Owen Bonnici told the Sunday Times of Malta yesterday that the law does offer means for redress through the Constitutional Court. Saying he understood the couple’s frustration, he added it stemmed from delays in the case aimed at clearing Mr Camilleri’s name.
“The Constitutional Court does have the power to provide a remedy. The delays are unfortunate, and the most recent postponement has understandably increased their frustration,” Dr Bonnici said.