Former police inspector Jonathan Ferris is seeking to block the appointment of new superintendents to the corps until a court case he is a party to is definitively concluded.

Ferris is arguing that the appeals court decision will impact his eligibility to apply for the posts. 

His judicial protest, filed before the civil courts, follows a court decision last December finding that he was discriminated against when he was not reinstated in the police force as an inspector after serving in the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit. That judgement has been appealed by the authorities.    

Ferris had argued before the First Hall of the Civil Court in constitutional proceedings that 152 former police officers had their request for reinstatement approved since 2010 but his own request remained unanswered.  

Ferris had taken up a post in the FIAU in 2016. At the time he had sought secondment, as had been afforded to 26 other police officers who were seconded to other government entities and the private sector.

But his request was met with resistance and failing that, he gave notice of resignation from the corps. 

A few months later, media reports surfaced regarding leaked FIAU reports about Politically Exposed Persons and the LNG tanker deal. Ferris said he had nothing to do with those leaks, but as the situation at the FIAU worsened, he asked then-Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar to seek his reinstatement at the corps. 

He was told to wait “until after the election.” But once the election was over, he still got no reply.

In his judicial protest, he reserved the right to further legal action including that of suing for loss of income. 

The protest was signed by lawyers Eve Borg Costanzi and Matthew Cutajar.