MP insists on independent inquiry

Labour MP Marie-Louise Coleiro said yesterday she had not given information to the police commissioner on alleged abuse involving policemen in Gozo because she felt such information should be requested by the minister of home affairs and investigated independently.

Ms Coleiro was reacting to a statement by the minister, Tonio Borg, on Wednesday. The minister had said that although the commissioner had contacted her about her allegations on Tuesday, she had not forwarded any information.

Ms Coleiro had claimed in parliament that during a police drugs raid on a Nadur apartment, the tenant threw a packet of counterfeit Lm20 notes out of a balcony. The packet was picked up by a person who gave it to a sergeant at the Victoria police station. The officer placed it in a drawer from where it disappeared shortly after.

The person who had removed the money from the drawer had taken it home and given it to somebody else, who had since died. This person had declared that the money was used for the purchase of heroin.

In his reaction, the minister said the police had investigated the allegations even before they were made public by Ms Coleiro but no evidence had been found to back them. He had invited Ms Coleiro to forward any information she might have either to him or to the police commissioner.

Ms Coleiro said she had told the commissioner she was ready to give such information to the person holding political responsibility, for independent investigation. The minister, however, never approached her.

In his statement the minister had acted as if the case was now closed, the Labour MP said.

She said she had not given further information about the case in parliament because, despite the protection afforded by parliamentary privilege, she felt one should be careful about disclosing information about people when allegations and rumours still had to be proved.