Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia today confirmed claims by Opposition MP Jason Azzopardi that he was on the interviewing board overseeing secret service recruits, together with his chief of staff. However Dr Mallia denied that he tried to influence the board remarking that the final say was left to assistant commissioner Michael Cassar who heads the secret service.
The home affairs minister was speaking in parliament following remarks made by the opposition MP, who on Monday claimed that the recruitment process was tarnished by political interference since Dr Mallia as well as his chief of staff were part of the interviewing board.
In his comments the home affairs minister insisted that he is not acquainted with those who sat for the interview, remarking that except for one particular candidate with a very particular surname, he does not even remember their name. Dr Mallia also remarked that the security services are no longer the long arm of the police, as it was under the previous administration.
During the adjournment speech, Dr Mallia rubbished claims made by Dr Azzopardi on the SAG and the army, whilst accusing him of being entrenched in old-style politics and to check his facts before making any claims.
In particular he referred to Dr Azzopardi’s claim that the army had been free of political interference since 1987, saying that this was not the case since in 2002 the ombudsman had flagged the reluctance of the commander to implement his recommendations “to remedy manifestly unjust decisions” which had “contributed to loss of confidence”.
The home affairs minister also defended the decision to transfer deputy AFM commander, Colonel David Attard as head of the Safi Detention Centre, saying that this is a normal thing in a disciplinary corps. “What applies to a bombardier must also apply higher up the ranks” said Dr Mallia who added that this transfer was not intended to humiliate anybody.
The home affairs minister remarked that as part of the “modern style of doing politics” he set up a unit headed by former brigadier Maurice Calleja to give recommendations on claims of injustices within the army.
Regarding the police corps, Dr Mallia said that some of the transfers which the opposition flagged as “vindictive”, in reality were given on request of those directly involved, and so Dr Azzopardi’s claims were unfounded.
Regarding the decision to amalgamate the SAG with the Mobile Squad into a new unit called Rapid Intervention Unit, Dr Mallia denied that the motive was to “dismantle this unit set up by the late President Emeritus Guido de Marco” but rather to have a more efficient force.
In his concluding remarks the home affairs minister said that government is willing to collaborate with the opposition and cited a number of meetings he had with Dr Azzopardi including one prior to the granting of the amnesty to prisoners. However he said that it is unfair to accuse government of undermining the political class, whenever it criticises some of the aspects of the previous administration.