Former traffic police officer Simon Schembri, who lost his right arm in a near-fatal traffic accident in 2018, has distanced himself from the alleged racket of overtime abuse and other fraud being investigated by the police.

He said he was not one of the police officers who was arrested or investigated in connection with the probe because he was not involved in any of the claimed offences. 

The statement was issued by the Simon Schembri Blue Light Foundation after the founder received calls by the media asking about his alleged involvement.  

“After our founder, Sergeant Simon Schembri and his family are being contacted by some media outlets, Simon states that he was not one of the police officers investigated in the last few days and this because he was never involved in any crimes or offences that are being alleged,” the short statement read.

Mr Schembri was propelled into the national spotlight in May 2018 after he was dragged along several metres under a speeding car in a hit-and-run incident. The incident saw one of his arms amputated and he suffered extensive injuries to his other limbs, his upper body and lungs. In all, he suffered a 60 per cent disability.

Mr Schembri had tried to stop 17-year-old Liam Debono who had allegedly been driving a third party’s Mercedes without a licence or a seat belt. The youth stands charged with attempted murder and is out on bail after pleading not guilty to the charges.

In December that year, Mr Schembri was one of those awarded the Qadi tar-Repubblika medal and was last year named as Officer of the Year.