Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà was “hosted” by the Italian state police during last week’s Italian Cup final.

Tongues were set wagging when Gafà was pictured sitting in the prestigious corporate seats, a stone’s throw away from top club officials, during the final between Juventus and Inter.

Gafà, who, like his predecessor Lawrence Cutajar, supports Inter, was in Rome with key law enforcement experts within the public security department of Italy’s interior ministry, according to a police spokesperson.

The spokesperson quashed any suggestions that the match tickets were a gift received by the police commissioner.

According to the spokesperson, Gafà was “hosted and accompanied” by the Italian state police for the match, which coincided with the meetings he had in Rome.

Months after his appointment as police commissioner, Gafà had launched a new digital registry where police officers must list any gifts or gratuities received, whether they accepted them or not.

Unlike other jurisdictions, such as the UK, the registry in Malta is not accessible to the public online.

By way of example, the Scottish registry includes gifts and hospitality from foreign governments and entities, similar to those enjoyed by Gafà in Italy.

The Scottish registry also includes seemingly trivial gifts rejected by officers, including two pens, four cases of lager and a gift card.

Former deputy police commissioner Silvio Valletta outed by Times of Malta as having received gifts from murder suspect Yorgen Fenech, even while he was under police investigation in connection with his alleged role in journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination in 2017.

Valletta holidayed with Fenech and watched the 2018 Champions League Final with him.

The former deputy commissioner was questioned about the relationship only after Fenech’s arrest. No further action is known to have been taken against him by the police.

Valletta has vehemently denied ever leaking information to Fenech.