Attorney General Peter Grech has disagreed with the police, who wanted to appeal a judgment and seek a harsher punishment for two Gozo Channel employees who pleaded guilty to theft, this newspaper has learnt.
Magistrate Joe Mifsud conditionally discharged the two employees, who confessed to stealing from their employer. He also recommended they be reinstated.
The police felt, however, there should have been a much harsher punishment, even objecting to the reinstatement recommendation, legal sources said. They formally asked the Attorney General to file an appeal, but the request was rejected, insisting that the sentence should remain unchanged, the sources added.
The Attorney General’s Office was asked for an explanation but no reply was forthcoming at the time of writing.
“The two employees were caught red-handed on CCTV, and we think the abuse had been going on for a long time. They deserved at least a suspended sentence,” a senior police officer said, expressing disappointment at the Attorney General’s decision.
How can you re-employ someone who robbed you?
“Furthermore, how can Gozo Channel be expected to take these employees back, as recommended by the court? How can you re-employ someone who robbed you?” he asked.
When contacted, Gozo Channel chairman Joe Cordina preferred not to comment and only said that, despite the court’s recommendation, the company had its own rules and would abide by them to the letter even in this case.
Sources close to the company noted that, in a similar instance involving employees caught stealing from the Gozo Channel bars on board its vessels, the culprits had been sacked.
The latest case goes back to last September when Raymond Borg, known as Ix-Xitan, and George Zammit were caught on closed circuit TV selling used ferry tickets and pocketing the money. The two made about €355 in a day. They were immediately suspended and then arraigned.
In 2013, Mr Borg, from Kerċem, was in the news after a Gozo Channel ferry was called back to Ċirkewwa halfway through its crossing to Mġarr to pick up Gozo Minister Anton Refalo, who had remained stranded in Malta.
Mr Borg, a canvasser for Dr Refalo, admitted that he had ordered the boat’s captain to return after receiving a call from the minister.