An investigation by the Mental Health Commissioner into the involuntary committal of former police officer Mario Portelli is still ongoing, The Sunday Times of Malta is informed.
Mr Portelli filmed the moment three police officers came to his home to haul him off to Mount Carmel last month.
His involuntary committal came after Mr Portelli posted a flurry of videos on Facebook in which he said he was going to confront Prime Minister Joseph Muscat about the Egrant case.
Questions have been raised by mental health practitioners about whether all the necessary procedures were adhered to prior to Mr Portelli’s committal.
These procedures necessitate that a doctor would have reviewed the person and recommended hospitalisation as the only reasonable course of action to preserve life and safety. The doctor would also establish that there are no safe alternatives that are less restrictive.
The Mental Health Commissioner confirmed to The Sunday Times of Malta on Friday that his investigation was still under way.
Health Minister Chris Fearne told the newspaper that the commissioner would inform him about the outcome of the investigation in the coming days.
Dr Fearne said the results of the investigation would not be published due to patient confidentiality reasons.
In a statement, the alliance for mental health requested both the Mental Health Commissioner and the police board to officially investigate and to ascertain that all procedures were adhered too.
A spokeswoman for the police declined to say if Mr Portelli’s committal to Mount Carmel had been pre-authorised by a psychiatric team.
“Kindy note that due to investigations being carried out, it’s not prudent to divulge further information regarding this case,” a police spokesman said.
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PD MP Godfrey Farrugia, who is familiar with Mr Portelli’s case, said on Facebook that the former PC did in fact arrive at Mount Carmel with the necessary documentation but that this was only because they took the “irregular” step of stopping at Mater Dei Hospital en route to sort out the paperwork with the patient in tow.
Mr Portelli’s parents have insisted that all the necessary procedures were adhered to.