The inquiry into the Gozo drugs case has found that there was no hint of proof of any political interference in the case.

The inquiry was launched following allegations in an article penned by MaltaToday, where it was alleged that a statement given to the police during a drug investigation in 2013, was changed following a meeting involving "two senior politicians" and one of the accused's parents, resulting in a change of her statement.

The full inquiry report can be read here.

"More so, it was proved that the process the police followed was correct, and that they followed the applicable legal procedures," the report read.

"One of the three youths is actually awaiting court proceedings."

The report read that inspector Bernard Charles Spiteri was called in to testify before the board of inquiry. "He said that one of the accused youths, Zael Vella, had given two statements, both on 16 June 2013, at different times during the day. The court sentence delivered on 17 June 2013, after the accused was taken before the courts on the charge of drug posession, read that she was freed on condition that she does not commit another crime within six months from the date the sentence was delivered."

The inspector also said that the police were not approached by the Zael Vella, after the sentence was delivered, to change either statement.

With regard to a second person accused, Kevin Vella, he delivered a statement on 16 June 2013. His case is currently sub judice.

"The MaltaToday article had given a timeline, where it indicated that in September 2013, a Munxar youth was arrested for possession of cannabis plants. Saviour Balzan, during his testimony before the board, said that he was referring to a certain Christopher Vella."

"The board investigated, and it was found that this person was arrested on 1 September 2013 for having some cannabis plants. He was interrogated by Inspector Frank Anthony Tabone on 2 September 2013." The case was decided by the Courts in October 2014, the report read. The report noted that the charge of relapsing in his case was dropped, given that the case that this charge was based on occurred more than five years prior, and thus the charge was not sustainable according to law.

"The newspaper article read that the first accused, Zael Vella, went to the police in October 2013 to change her story and said that Christopher Vella was not her source for drugs. Nowhere does it result that Zael Vella, after her case was decided in June 2013, approached the police to change one of her statements."

"While the MaltaToday article read that Zael Vella told police that she bought drugs from two other youths, as a fact it does not - through her two statements presented - result that she made a similair declaration to the police. When asked the question 'how much did she pay her friends for the drugs', she said she did not pay for them."

The inquiry report read that before Magistrate Josette Demicoli, Zael Vella confirmed her statements that she had given, except for where she did not want to confirm what she said about her friend Kevin Vella. The report noted that the police proceeded with trafficking charges against Kevin Vella on the basis of a Magisterial inquiry which had been launched, and also noted that Kevin Vella was taken before the courts under arrest, and not through a citation.

The Board also said that it heard the testimony of Gozo Minister Anton Refalo, and then police Minister Manuel Mallia, "and their testimony did not lead to any changes in the conclusions of this report. They both confirmed that the alleged meeting never took place, and denied all the allegations."

It also noted that no police escort for a minister was ordered on the night political interference was alleged, as was reported in one of the articles.

PN statement

The conclusion of the inquiry into the drugs case in Gozo confirms what the Nationalist Party leader has been saying all along, that it is just a whitewash, a cover-up to hide what really happened, the PN said.

The inquiry board, led by a former PL candidate, did not even have the basic decency to take the testimony of people who had information about the case, including the drivers of the ministers who allegedly intervened, the persons involved, the police officers who formed part of the escort service, shadow Minister Chris Said, and did not see the security cameras outside the Gozo Ministry.

It is shameful that the Prime Minister, before such evidence of political interference, set up a fake inquiry that completed a cover-up.

Joseph Muscat chose political interests before the interests of the public, the PN said.

In reply, the Labour Party said that the PN was reacting this way because the inquiry report did not suit its purposes.