Magistrate Edwina Grima handed down an 18-month prison sentence to two hunters who yesterday morning admitted to charges of bribing a police officer, the magistrate saying the two had fallen into the policeman’s trap.
Roderick Stabile, 27, from Zejtun and Glen Neil Scicluna, 33, from Marsascala, admitted to the corruption of a police constable, Kenneth Savasta, who worked with the Administrative Law Enforcement police, promising him gifts in return for information he could give them.
The arrangement, which happened around two years ago, allowed the two men to continue to enjoy their illegal hunting.
PC Savasta is also to be arraigned in court, charged with accepting bribes, on Monday.
The two men were relapsers, although both Joe Mifsud, who appeared for Stabile, and Michael Falzon, who appeared for Scicluna, argued that the offences on which they had previously been found guilty would be better described as misdemeanours, rather than more serious crimes.
Dr Mifsud explained that his client’s case had involved a fine of around €350 (Lm150) for possession of a hunting weapon some two years ago.
He said that his client had never set out to find someone to bribe, but rather had met someone who had volunteered to help him. He met PC Savasta, who told him he was ready to help them go hunting, during the wedding of Stabile’s sister.
They would message him before going hunting, to see where he would be working. Scicluna said that when he knew his friend would be working, he would take his ‘bird caller’ but would leave it at home when he wasn’t.
Hunting had been his hobby since he was 13, when he lived in Australia and could use a junior’s licence, and he was sad to stop. As a sign of gratitude he sometimes gave PC Savasta a voucher of around €50 from Chains supermarket, but he had never been asked for money.
Dr Mifsud was not contesting the fact that it was nevertheless a bribe. Considering some of the hampers police officers received at Christmas time, Dr Mifsud said, one came to the conclusion that a zero tolerance policy was needed.
Dr Falzon said that his client was friends with PC Savasta, so much so that they had helped plaster each other’s houses. He had on some occasions paid a meal for him, however it was a grim situation if this amounted to a bribe.
“God forbid that paying a meal for a friend means bribery”, Dr Falzon said, adding that the situation had been blown out of proportion due to certain media attention.
Magistrate Grima said that this case was all the more serious because the police should be there to maintain order. Both men intend to appeal the sentences.
Third man pleads not guilty
A third man, Eric Scicluna, 38, from Mtarfa, was also charged with bribing PC Savasta, but pleaded not guilty.
His lawyers Joe Giglio and Michael Falzon objected to the way in which a statement was taken from their client, with his being called back for further questions, just half an hour after he had been told he was free to go.
The Police Commissioner was alerted to irregularities revolving around three members of the ALE, and Scicluna was called in for questioning. However, Superintendent Mario Spiteri said that when the Commissioner saw the statement, he felt there were some points which required further clarification.
The defence felt this was unacceptable, as Dr Falzon said “things should not be this way.” Furthermore the police force should not be run by a newspaper, he said, which was why the case had been given so much importance.
In the statement Scicluna admitted that he would meet PC Savasta near his fields, and to sending PC Savasta a bottle of whisky or a leg of pork come Christmas time.
Superintendent Spiteri also admitted that the statement bore the signature of a police sergeant, Joe Farrugia, who was not actually present for the further questioning, but emphasised that this was a mistake, which everyone makes.
The case will continue next month.