Updated, Adds PN, PL reactions - Prime Minister Joseph Muscat insisted this morning that the government had a duty to hear what the victim of a mistaken arraignment had to say.
He was replying to questions of how the Chief of Staff at the Home Affairs Ministry last week discussed the matter with the victim, Daryl Luke Borg, even though the case is being investigated by the Police Board.
In a reaction the Nationalist Party said it was shocking that the prime minister saw nothing wrong with a senior ministry official meeting the main witness in a supposedly independent investigation.
Asked whether Mr Scerri’s actions were unethical, Dr Muscat said that Mr Scerri had received a request to hear Mr Borg’s version and that was what he did. He said that it was immaterial whether Mr Borg was accompanied by ‘Iz-Zambi’ as he was a person whom he trusted.
"The victim could take whoever he wished with him to the meeting," Dr Muscat said.
Mr Attard served time for the attempted murder of Richard Cachia Caruana.
Borg was mistakenly accused of committing a hold-up in Birkirkara. He was held in remand until another man was arraigned and owned up.
The shadow minister for home affairs, Jason Azzopardi, said on Saturday that the chief of staff, Silvio Scerri, had used Mr Attard as a go-between to contact Mr Borg.
PN: 'MUSCAT'S STATEMENT IS SHOCKING
In a reaction, the Nationalist Party said it was shocking that the prime minister saw nothing wrong that a senior ministry official spoke to a main witness in a supposedly independent inquiry.
This, the party said, was scandalous, more so when it now came with the prime minister’s approval.
Furthermore, Dr Muscat had no credibility when he said that the government had a duty to inform the Police Board to hear the evidence of Daryl Luke Borg. The board was led by an experienced retired judge who did not need the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Home Affairs to tell him who he should hear as a witness, the PN said.
Furthermore, the prime minister had also confirmed that the government felt comfortable in the presence of criminals in its offices. The fact that a convicted criminal had 'direct access' to senior government officials was worrying and undermined democratic institutions, the PN said.
In so doing, Dr Muscat was ignoring every concept of accountability and standards of governance, the party said.
PL REACTION
The Labour Party said the government had a duty to listen to what anyone was saying, not least when allegations were made.
It said Dr Jason Azzopardi, Opposition spokesman for home affairs, had to shoulder political responsibility for the claims he was making.