Just three days before election day, Alternattiva Demo-

kratika's chairman Harry Vassallo yesterday said he received the news from a NET TV journalist, and four hours later from two police officers, that the fines he was being requested to pay on behalf of a company he claims he last represented ten years ago, were converted into a two-year jail sentence, as far back as five months ago.

“This electoral campaign I have done my utmost to leave my family out of the spotlight, however today things have changed dramatically because the campaign has reached its lowest level yet – a trap has been set up for me during the last five months which may affect negatively all my family especially my wife and kids,” said Dr Vassallo during an unexpected press conference held yesterday at AD’s offices in Sliema while surrounded by his family.

“Today at 4.15pm two police officers turned up at my office with two documents for my arrest amounting to two years in jail, dated 10 October 2007,” explained Dr Vassallo.

“I want to make it clear that what has been shown on the Nationalist Party’s website that these fines were imposed because VAT wasn’t paid by a company I was involved in personally is absolutely not true.

“These fines were imposed on me because of a company that failed to send in its VAT returns, however I have not been involved with or run this company for the last ten years,” said Dr Vassallo.

“When I was leading this company ten years ago the returns were always sent and the taxes due were always paid. Unfortunately, due to the bureaucratic machine, I remained registered as the person who was meant to submit these returns, and the fines were issued in my name despite the fact I am not responsible for submitting the tax returns any longer,” he said.

Dr Vassallo has appeared in court several times to explain that he could not submit the VAT returns of a company he hasn’t been involved with for over ten years. However, as the law stands today the courts had no option but to impose these fines. In February 2008 Dr Vassallo claims he reached an agreement with the VAT Department that the best way out of this bureaucratic mess was to ask for a pardon from the President of the Republic since he was being fined for thousands of liri unjustly.

The presidential pardon was denied, and Dr Vassallo’s only option now is to present an appeal for the reconsideration of his case.

“Today the Nationalist Party decided to make use of the situation and a journalist of NET TV came to our conference for the first time this morning, and informed me that the fines imposed on me had been converted into two years imprisonment. This was fresh news to me as I only found out about the court’s decision which was taken five months ago this afternoon,” added Dr Vassallo.

“I don’t know whether the President of the Republic will reconsider my case or not. He might feel I deserve to go to jail for two years because someone else did not fill in the tax forms. Whatever happens I will definitely create a campaign to stop such unfair bureaucracy from harming others unduly, like my self,” he concluded.

Dr Vassallo is ‘trying to blame

PN for his situation’

The Nationalist Party yesterday rebutted allegations by Dr Vassallo that it was in any way involved in his court case. The party said that “it is not so stupid as to enter into such an issue on the eve of the general election.” The PN said that “in no way, at not point in time, and for no reason whatsoever did it interfere or would it ever interfere in a legal process underway against Dr Vassallo. Therefore, the party said it categorically denies all the allegations put forward by Dr Vassallo in its regard.

The party said that Dr Vassallo is trying to make political gain by blaming the PN for his situation. The party said that it is obvious that the leader of a political party is open to scrutiny and that he should have declared that a court case had ruled against him.

Media.link replies to Dr Vassallo

In a press release issued last night, Media.link said it could not be held responsible for what happened to Dr Vassallo. Media.link said that during AD’s press conference, one if its journalists asked Dr Vassallo to comment about the issue after it had been informed that Dr Vassallo had been fined Lm6,000 and that his request for a presidential pardon in connection with this case had been rejected.

Dr Vassallo told journalists he was not aware that the fine would have been commuted into a prison sentence. However, Media.link said that this order had been issued by the courts more than five months ago, on 27 September.

Media.link said it has no connection whatsoever with the action taken by the Court Police against Dr Vassallo. It is definitely not Media.link’s fault that Dr Vassallo was found guilty by the court, was fined, did not pay the fines, asked for and was not granted a presidential pardon.

Media.link said it is its duty to investigate when it receives information that the leader of a political party is found guilty in court.

Police clarification

In a press release issued last night, the police said it would like to clarify that it is normal practice for policemen to deliver such orders on behalf of the law courts.

Preliminary investigations showed that at around 4pm, a Sliema district police officer called on Dr Vassallo to ask him to regularise his position regarding the court order.

The statement said the allegations being made by Dr Vassallo are completely different to what is being reported by the police sergeant.

Therefore, the Commissioner of Police has ordered immediate investigations so that the whole truth about the case is revealed.

OPM calls on Police

Commissioner to investigate

The Office of the Prime Minister said yesterday that after it was informed about Dr Vassallo’s press conference it immediately called on the Police Commissioner to investigate.

In a press release issued last night, the Department of Information said that the Head of the Secretariat, Edgar Galea Curmi, called on the PC to investigate the series of events that could have led the police to act in such a strange way and whether there were other cases similar to this still underway.