A police inspector responsible for several high-profile corruption cases has resigned.

Anthony Scerri, who in January led a search on former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s home, has quit his role as an inspector within the police’s financial crimes investigations department.

Muscat was tipped off about the search, leading to concerns about leaks within the investigation.

Police sources say Scerri resigned because he had become disillusioned with life in the corps.

One source says Scerri has taken up a job with a government entity.

Having joined the corps back in 2003, his resignation sees him fall five years short of being eligible for a pension after 25 years of service.

Scerri was the lead inspector in the magisterial inquiry into the Vitals hospitals scandal, triggered by rule of law NGO Repubblika.

He was also one of the prosecutors in the case against John Dalli over an alleged €60 million bribe solicited by a former Dalli aide, and also led the revived probe into Ryan Schembri, who was extradited to Malta in March after years of inaction.

Police morale is at an all-time low

Scerri’s resignation comes as part of a wider exodus from the police force, which has been put down to waning morale within the force.

This month, the Malta Police Union said police morale is at an all-time low.

The financial crimes investigations department too has been impacted by resignations, as officers and analysts seek better-paying jobs in other government agencies or the private sector.

The department evolved from the much-criticised Economic Crimes Unit which used to be led by assistant commissioner Ian Abdilla.

In 2020, the unit was revamped into a department that is now the largest investigative unit in the police force.

Abdilla was suspended last year over his inaction in the Panama Papers investigation.