Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri on Thursday fended off criticism about the number of prison deaths in the past two years, saying the absolute majority of them were due to natural causes.
“I have asked for copies of the magisterial inquiries into all the deaths and I can say that the absolute majority of them - around 75 per cent - were due to natural causes. One has to keep in mind that the prison population doubled in the last few years and is now equal to that of a town of village. I do not know of any town or village where deaths do not happen,” he said, when asked by Times of Malta on his reaction to the number of prison deaths.
In the past two years, there have been 11 reported deaths at the Corradino Correctional Facility. The most recent one was that of Pakistani inmate Ihtisham Ihtisham, who was just 25, and who died “in his sleep” while behind bars.
Camilleri said it was not up to him to release the findings of the magisterial inquiries as he is not the person who receives them. He simply asked for the conclusions to be able to draw a political standpoint. He added, however, that he had no problem with their publication.
Camilleri was also asked for his comments on the recent statement about intimidatory behaviour by prison director Alex Dalli towards one of the lawyers appearing for Yorgen Fenech.
He defended his decision to retain him, saying that, as far as he is informed, there was a court application and decision in this regard.
Lawyer Charles Mercieca had sought recourse before the court after the prison director stopped him from taking along documents to jail, during a meeting with Fenech to prepare for next day’s hearing in court.
That incident had abruptly broken up the client-lawyer meeting and Mercieca subsequently filed a complaint with the Chamber of Advocates, claiming that the director’s attitude negatively impinged upon his duties as a lawyer.
As for the incident concerning the prison director, Magistrate Rachel Montebello said the court cannot tell the prison head what to do, save for anything which impinged upon the criminal proceedings at hand.
She observed that lawyer-client consultations in jail were to be conducted in such manner as to avoid any impingement upon the rights of the defence, adding that sufficient opportunities were to be given to allow effective communication between the accused and his lawyers.
In his reply to Mercieca’s claim, the prison director pointed out that he had granted the lawyers permission to bring along electronic equipment that could be used during their meetings with the accused.