Corradino Correctional Facility has set up a “solidarity” fund which is being used to bridge the salary shortfall of two prison warders suspended on half pay over the alleged involuntary homicide of inmate Kim Borg Nicolas Virtu.
The benevolent fund was set up in September, immediately following the publication of a magisterial inquiry report which had found shortcomings with regard to the two correctional officials.
Workers, about 400, are contributing a percentage of their salary towards the fund every month, with most of them donating €10.
The fund was a suggestion of the General Workers’ Union, of which the two suspended officials are members. Suspended CCF director Alex Dalli took up the idea and created the fund within days, sources said.
The union is providing free legal assistance to Annabelle Cauchi, 51, from Żebbuġ, now retired, and Alison Vassallo, 41, from Fgura, who are facing criminal proceedings over the involuntary homicide of the 29-year-old Borg Nicolas Virtu.
The pair are also charged with committing a crime they were duty-bound to prevent.
Borg Nicolas Virtu was found unconscious in her cell on June 16 and died at Mater Dei Hospital three weeks later, on July 4.
According to the fund’s terms of reference, seen by Times of Malta, workers are contributing with a direct payment taken from their salary every month.
Although the contributions are voluntary, workers felt compelled to accept.
CCF head of operations Randolph Spiteri would not reply to direct questions on the benevolent fund, even refusing to confirm that it had already been used to disburse payments to the suspended prison officials.
“The Correctional Services Agency benevolent fund is a voluntary welfare fund set up on the initiative of various employees in agreement with their trade union, where all employees have the option to make a small contribution every month. Please direct your questions to the General Workers’ Union,” Spiteri replied to the first set of questions.
The union is not involved in any way in how the fund is managed and is not mentioned in the terms of reference.
Spiteri declined to say if the fund’s evaluation board, of which he is a member along with Dalli and the CSA chief administration officer, had received a request and disbursed funds to the suspended employees.
“All information is provided to employees who voluntarily decided to be part of this fund,” was his curt reply.
According to the fund’s terms, it will be used to “provide financial support to legitimate causes related to all CSA employees and/or close relatives”. The fund is described as a “solidarity vehicle for those in need” and requests for funds are decided based on the CSA’s “core values”.
A large majority of prison warders and workers last week signed a petition calling for Dalli to return to his post as prisons director after he suspended himself following the 14th suicide at the prisons during his tenure.
Ten inmates had also gone on hunger strike in support of Dalli, who was replaced by acting CEO Robert Brincau.