In a video released to the media yesterday, Nicholas Azzopardi, who died in hospital in mysterious circumstances last week, alleged he was beaten black and blue (“qlajt xeba tal-beati pawli”) at the police headquarters.

Mr Azzopardi died 13 days after he was severely injured in an incident that is still unclear and has led to the opening of a magisterial inquiry and an independent inquiry ordered by the government.

The video was taken and released by Mr Azzopardi’s brother Reno, who, together with his father, Joseph, and family lawyer Toni Abela, participated in a press conference held at the MaltaToday premises in San Gwann.

The newspaper broke the story on Sunday, alleging that Nicholas Azzopardi, a 38-year-old father of two, had said on his deathbed that he was beaten up by his interrogating police officers and thrown off the bastions.

In a counter-statement issued on Sunday, the police rebutted the allegations, saying they had issued two press statements following the incident and they had immediately taken necessary legal action; in fact, legal proceedings had started immediately by means of an inquiry opened by Magistrate Anthony Vella.

In its first statement, issued on 9 April, the police said a man had escaped from the police headquarters, jumped over a wall overlooking the trade school behind the headquarters, and was taken to hospital in critical condition.

The police said that at no point in the proceedings had they found that there were any beating allegations or that anyone had been thrown off the bastions, as alleged in MaltaToday.

However, Reno Azzopardi, the deceased’s brother yesterday braved the cameras and the microphones and gave his testimony, saying he had lost his best friend, but he wanted the truth to come out and justice to be done.

“I am swearing over the Holy Bible that this is the truth, nothing but the truth… the chain of events which led to his death started on 8 April.”

Mr Azzopardi said his brother was a health and safety officer at Enemalta, and had saved several people on the job.

He said that although he had marital problems, he stood strong and held on to the relationship, particularly because of his daughter.

Mr Azzopardi told journalists that his brother was given full custody of his daughter but was not given custody of his son because his lawyer forgot to mention him in court.

Referring to a report on TVM on Monday evening that Mr Azzopardi was being interrogated by the police for allegedly molesting his seven-year-old daughter, his brother said Mr Azzopardi lived in his mother’s small house and spent most of the time watching cartoons on the sofa.

“This is why his daughter used to be on the sofa with him – there’s no other reason. The problems came up because my sister-in-law’s lawyer could not accept the fact that he had lost the court case; however, she did not even bother to testify in court. They came up with the notion that my brother was behaving suspiciously and that he even made his daughter sleep in the same bed with him.

“It was then that Inspector Graziella Muscat called for my brother and asked him to bring his daughter along to the police headquarters. He went to the depot on Tuesday 8 April, totally unsuspecting, and was surprised to find his wife, together with her mother there,” said Mr Azzopardi.

He said that it was only on Wednesday morning (9 April) that the family was informed by the police that “he was in safe hands”, but no information was given as to why he was being interrogated.

Later that day, Mr Azzopardi said he was ordered to go to the police headquarters, where he was met by Inspector Louise Calleja, who told him his brother “had hurt a policeman and ran and jumped from a window” and was in critical condition.

Mr Azzopardi said the biggest anomaly was that the doctors said his brother (weighing 120kg) had suffered injuries to his ribcage. He did not have any head injuries, his spine was intact and he had no broken legs. All he had was a broken, totally crushed left hand, totally crushed left side ribcage, a totally crushed left lung, plus half the right lung.

Mr Azzopardi said he was worried about his brother’s security and was trying to get in touch with the Prime Minister or someone else in a position of authority, and after numerous phone calls he was reassured that the Justice and Home Affairs Minister would inform Magistrate Anthony Vella about the case.

“My brother was then miraculously transferred from the ITU; we were really surprised,” he said, adding that all supporting machinery was removed and he was taken to Orthopaedic Ward 1, where a man dressed as a nursing aide – “but who did not look like one” – stood outside his hospital room.

Mr Azzopardi said that when Magistrate Vella eventually interrogated his brother three hours before he died on 22 April, he was accompanied by three other people, one of whom was Inspector (Graziella) Muscat, who was in charge of his brother’s interrogation.

After his brother died, Mr Azzopardi said he noticed bruises on the left side of his head and hidden under his hair, large bruises on his buttocks and left kidney area, a shattered left hand and a shattered left rib cage.

“My brother was right-handed. If he defended himself with his right hand, he was exposing his left side to his aggressors.”

Family lawyer Toni Abela said they would wait for Mr Azzopardi’s death certificate to be issued. Asked whether the family would consider exhuming Mr Azzopardi’s body, his brother said they would first seek legal advice, but every possibility would be considered to make sure that the truth comes out.

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Nicholas Azzopardi’s testimony on his deathbed

The video released yesterday showed Nicholas Azzopardi on his deathbed in hospital, saying: “I received a phone call on Tuesday evening to go to the depot in Floriana. She (my wife) had arrived before me with her mother, and the girl was taken up with PS24.

“At that point I saw none of them. The kids, I didn’t see any of them because... with my mother-in-law and the girl, and I went downstairs and I was beaten black and blue.”

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Minister orders independent inquiry into the case

In a short statement issued yesterday afternoon, the Department of Information said Justice and Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici had appointed Mr Justice Albert Manchè to lead an independent inquiry into the Nicholas Azzopardi case.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici called on Mr Justice Manchè to examine the way the police handled the situation from the moment Mr Azzopardi was arrested, till the moment he died on 22 April.

He also requested an examination as to whether or not there was police negligence of abuse of power, as well as an examination of every ancillary matter related to Mr Azzopardi’s arrest.

Lastly, Dr Mifsud Bonnici requested Mr Justice Manchè to make recommendations based on his conclusions and asked him to do so as soon as possible.