Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri declined to say on Thursday whether he still has confidence in prison director Alex Dalli.

Camilleri repeatedly stated he bases his comments "on the facts" when asked about his opinion of Dalli.

The controversial prison director has been the focus of claims of a vindictive system that prioritises punishment over rehabilitation. 

On Wednesday, two prison warders were suspended and will be charged in court following a magisterial inquiry into a suicide by an inmate. 

Dalli has made headlines recently over other inmate deaths and claims of solitary confinement, denial of visitation rights, and even of the introduction of a ‘torture chair’ within CCF.

Camilleri has previously defended the prison system but on Thursday would not be drawn on whether the director continues to enjoy his full support. 

"Whenever there has been an allegation or an incident that involved an inquiry, I have always said that I decide on facts," he said.

"From what I saw from the inquiry, factually, it results that the director was not informed about what was happening. But I went beyond that and I called for an inquiry to give a review of the entire system so that we can establish whether there are things that need to be changed," Camilleri said. 

Asked again whether he believes Dalli should shoulder any form of responsibility, Camilleri did not reply. 

Since 2018, 13 prisoners have died while serving sentences at the Corradino Correctional Facility, two of them this year.

Following the latest incident in August, a board was tasked with reviewing suicide prevention measures at the prison and to evaluate support measures for drug dependents.