Joseph Muscat 'politically condemned himself' when phone was wiped - Repubblika
Removal of content from mobile phone showed the former prime minister had something to hide, NGO says
News from the courts that Joseph Muscat wiped his phone shortly before a police search showed he had benefited from leaks from a magisterial inquiry into the fraudulent hospitals deal and he had the time to remove evidence, NGO Repubblika said on Wednesday.
A court expert testified earlier that the former prime minister's iPhone was reset weeks before the police raided his home and seized it.
Repubblika said that the fact that the contents of a phone had been wiped did not legally constitute evidence of guilt, but politically, Muscat had condemned himself.
It pointed out that, further to wiping his phone, Muscat had also refused to give his PIN number to the police.
This showed that Muscat treated the police with contempt; he had benefited from illegal leaks from the magisterial inquiry, giving him time to remove evidence; and he had something to hide.
The source of the leak was probably within the police force, the NGO said.
This episode, it added, showed that the fight against corruption needed all possible resources. The denial of the people's right to request magisterial inquiries constituted the removal of an important tool for the investigation of corruption, particularly when the police failed to act.