The government announced this evening that Police Commissioner Michael Cassar has handed in his registration.
Mr Cassar will be resigning with immediate effect due to health reasons.
The Malta Independendent revealed, in an exclusive report on Saturday, that Mr Cassar was ready to step down. Later in the day Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela confirmed that Mr Cassar was on long sick leave and any decision on his future would depend on the results of medical tests.
Mr Cassar told the Prime Minister he was resigning after serving loyally on the force for 37 years.
“As you know, I have always given my utmost. This meant that my whole day would be taken up by work. As a consequence, I abandoned myself and ignored my health. I used to exercise and managed to avoid many health problems but, due to a lack of time, some of these problems have returned.”
Mr Cassar said he was warned to start exercising again and this would require working fewer hours. For this reason he was resigning from the force. Mr Cassar thanked the Prime Minister for entrusting him with leading the police force as well as the public for its support.
In a letter to Mr Cassar, Dr Muscat said he was accepting the resignation with a heavy heart. The PM said he understood Mr Cassar’s situation and had no doubt this was the result of the hard work carried out by Cassar throughout the years, which had yielded results.
Michael Cassar was appointed to the post of Commissioner in December 2014. He is the fourth police commissioner since the 2013 election, having served in the post after John Rizzo, Peter Paul Zammit and Ray Zammit.
Assistant Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar has been appointed acting Police Commissioner.
PN statement
In a statement the Nationalist Party said the crisis gripping the police force was a situation of Joseph Muscat’s own making.
The fact that the police force would soon have its fifth commissioner in three years showed the state which the police force had been reduced to because of Dr Muscat's mistaken policies.
The fact that the police had not launched an investigation into the panama scandal proved that the force was in crisis.
It also said the appointment of police commissioners should change and they should be appointed by two-thirds majority in Parliament.