Justice Minister Owen Bonnici would not comment yesterday on whether former acting police commissioner Ray Zammit could be trusted in his new position, given the various cases of alleged wrongdoing.
The minister was speaking during a ceremony at the headquarters of the Local Enforcement System Agency (LESA) in Pietà to mark its first 100 days.
When approched by journalists, the minister preferred to field questions in another part of the building and not where the ceremony was held.
He assured journalists Mr Zammit would field all questions put to him after he himself finished answering the press.
In contrast with what usually happens, Mr Zammit did not accompany the minister when meeting journalists and, instead, remained in another part of the building inaccessible to the press. Journalists asked LESA officials to summon Mr Zammit to meet them, as was indicated by the minister, but Mr Zammit did not show up and a spokesman said “he was very busy with guests”.
Mr Zammit has been making the headlines for the past year
Dr Bonnici walked to his waiting car and left once he had replied to the questions.
Mr Zammit, who was handpicked by Dr Bonnici as a person of trust to head the new agency, has been making the headlines for the past year.
Less than six months after being appointed acting police commissioner, Mr Zammit was removed from that office by the Prime Minister for acting in a “grossly unprofessional manner” in the case involving the shooting incident of the driver of former home affairs minister Manuel Mallia, who had been sacked.
Mr Zammit returned to his former rank of deputy police commissioner.
A few months later, an inquiry concluded that Mr Zammit and his two sons, Daniel and Roderick, both police inspectors, had been involved in business relations with “shady persons”, including the Gaffarena family, against police rules.
The Sunday Times of Malta has now reported that Mr Zammit and his brother acquired three plots of public land for a “paltry” sum after benefiting from a “ministerial policy” on the evaluation process.
Dr Bonnici, however, yesterday skirted repeated questions on whether the government expected the public to have con-fidence in the agency headed by Mr Zammit, given the allegations and inquiry findings in his regard.
He said Mr Zammit had the necessary qualities to manage the local enforcement process and the changes the government wanted to implement.
Dr Bonnici said Mr Zammit was given a contract for three years. He enjoys a financial package of €60,000 annually.
The Nationalist Party yesterday again called for the removal of Mr Zammit from a positon of trust.
PN local councils spokesman David Agius said that, following the various controversies involving Mr Zammit, it was evident he could not be trusted in such positions.
In protest, the PN decided not to accept an invitation to attend yesterday’s event at LESA.