Malta Today managing editor Saviour Balzan took the witness stand on Monday to defend his description of former police inspector and FIAU investigator Jonathan Ferris as “Inspector Clouseau”. 

He was testifying before Magistrate Victor Axiaq in libel proceedings Mr Ferris filed against Mr Balzan over a videoblog in 2017 wherein he had drawn comparisons between Mr Ferris's work when he was still with the police and investigating the oil procurement scandal to that of fictional Pink Panther detective Inspector Clouseau.

“My video blogs contain sarcastic references to characters known to the public. However, I never say that someone is corrupt unless I have evidence,” Mr Balzan said, before moving on to explain how during his time as police inspector, Mr Ferris had investigated Maria Efimova, then a Pilatus Bank employee.

Mr Ferris claims he has been fired from the government's anti-money laundering agency after he started to look into reports by Daphne Caruana Galizia claiming that the Panama company Egrant was owned by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s wife. Both the Prime Minister and Ms Muscat reject the allegations, sparked by Ms Efimova's claims. 

Mr Balzan said Ms Efimova had later alleged having been "somehow abused by the police", adding that, however, internal police investigations had proved that neither Mr Ferris nor his colleague had committed any abuse. 

“She [Efimova] gave information not only to Daphne Caruana Galizia but to other journalists too and had even attempted to contact me,” Mr Balzan said. 

“He is speaking for an audience. He’s not answering my question,” pointed out Mr Ferris’s lawyer, Joseph Zammit Maempel.

Mr Balzan retorted: “I’m trying to explain why I referred to him [Ferris] as Inspector Clouseau". 

“Efimova later was proved to have been lying and Ferris, like many others,  swallowed it hook, line and sinker,” said the witness, claiming that the Russian woman had misappropriated bank funds to pay for family holidays.

As for having criticised the fact that Mr Ferris had prosecuted his own cousin in the oil scandal, Mr Balzan claimed that the normal protocol within the police corps was to flag any family relations in such circumstances.

In the oil scandal case, no headway had been made. “The small fish were caught, but the big fish are still out there doing business. People at the centre of the oil scandal allegations are still going on at full swing,” Mr Balzan said.

“Do you distinguish between investigating and prosecuting?” asked lawyer Joseph Zammit Maempel, representing Mr Ferris. 

The case was adjourned to February.

Lawyers Veronique Dalli and Andrew Saliba assisted Mr Balzan.