The independent Police Board this afternoon started its hearings into how a man was mistakenly arraigned and accused of a hold-up earlier this week after miscommunication within the police.

The meeting was closed to the press and the public, even though earlier a government statement had indicated it would be open for reporters.

Judge Franco Depasquale, chairman of the board, said before the meeting that the law prevented him from allowing the proceedings to be held in public and the final report would only be passed on to the Police Commissioner and the Home Affairs Minister.

"It is up to them if they want to publish the report," he said, adding the law tied his hands.

He said he expected this to be a straight forward case and the investigation should not take more than a few weeks. The urgency of the case, he said, was its very unique nature of having a person wrongly charged.

He insisted the Police Board was independent of the police and the Government.

Judge Depasquale said this was the first ever meeting of the current board and it was held at the Home Affairs Ministry because the new members did not know where it normally met.

The judge is the only veteran, having been in the board since its beginning 10 years ago. The other board members are Victor Grupetta, Deandra Schembri, a lawyer, Keith Chetcuti, who is board secretary, and lawyer David Farrugia Sacco, who was absent from the meeting.

Police Commissioner Peter Paul Zammit and deputy commissioner Joe Cachia were seen entering the building.

Judge Depasquale said the Police Commissioner will be the first to be questioned and later on police officials will be asked to give their version of events.

The board investigates complaints from people about police behaviour, although the judge admitted the board's email did not work well very often.

He also said the police sometimes took time to answer the board's questions. He said that the board had been investigating a complaint from Paceville residents for the past two years and the police have been very hard to come by with replies.