The police commissioner today said that he has been incorrectly interpreted by the Nationalist Party newspaper In-Nazzjon with regard to the case involving No Portfolio Minister Konrad Mizzi and OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri.
The PN newspaper reported today that police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar had “confirmed” to Net TV programme Iswed fuq l-Abjad that Dr Mizzi and Mr Schembri are being investigated on their involvement in the Panama Papers scandal and that “he did not exclude their arrest and arraignment”.
But, in a statement this morning, the police commissioner said that the report is “an incorrect interpretation” of what he told In-Nazzjon.
In March 2016, weeks after the Panama Papers scandal had been revealed, the police had said that there existed no reasonable suspicion that a crime had been committed and that it should be investigated.
In his statement today, the police chief said the corps should be allowed to carry out its work with serenity and undue pressure.
The commissioner quoted article 112 of chapter 164 of the Maltese laws, which lays down that no police officer can give details to the media about the identity of a person who is arrested on suspicions of having committeed a crime.
This was interpreted on the programme by lawyer Joe Giglio as meaning that Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri are being investigated, a claim that was denied by the police chief today.
In a statement, the PN said that the police commissioner had withdrawn the statement he made on the Net Tv programme because he is the Prime Minister's puppet.
Yesterday, the police chief had said that he cannot give details about people who are arrested on suspicions that a crime was committed, meaning - according to the PN - that the commissioner was considering Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri as suspects who are being investigated and possibly arraigned.
Today, "after a reprimand from Castille", the police commissioner had changed his version and said he did not mean to imply that Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi are under investigation.
This confusion had already occurred a few weeks ago when Home Minister Carmelo Abela said the duo involved in the Panama Papers scandal were being investigated, with PM Muscat later saying they were not.
In his statement, the police chief quoted a reply that had been given nearly a year ago, at a time when the details of the Panama Papers had still to be revealed, the FIAU report was still to be submitted and before the PANA committee chairman had said this was a textbook case of money laundering, the PN said.
PL reaction
The Labour Party accused Dr Busuttil of being “vindictive and bitter.” It said the Opposition Leader had now turned his guns on the Police Commissioner, claiming that Dr Busuttil would “fire him without notice.”
The PL said Simon Busuttil had a list of people he wanted to sack just because they were not saying what he wanted to hear. This, the PL said, was a show of arrogance and vindictiveness and a case of sour grapes. “This is not what people want.”