Assistant Police Commissioner Mario Spiteri told a court today that two Rapid Intervention Unit police officers allegedly involved in a scuffle with a Mosta man will be facing criminal proceedings.

This new development came after an internal affairs inquiry which delved into the case was concluded. The nature of the criminal charges against the police officers was not made known.

On 3 May two police officers from the Rapid Intervention Unit – David Camilleri and Mark Tonna - claimed that they were attacked by a Mosta man – Jean Paul Aquilina – after they ordered him to pull over while driving towards Mgarr in the early hours of the morning. Aquilina was accompanied by his partner. Both parties are claiming that they were the victims and not the aggressors. Mr Aquilina has been charged with a string of offences but some of the charges against him were filed a month after the initial charges were filed.

Normally, in a case where individuals who are not police officers are involved in a fight, both parties are charged. But in this case, since police officers are involved, it had to be the internal inquiry’s conclusions which has led to the fact that they will be charged.

During the last sitting, Mr Aquilina’s lawyer Mario De Marco accused the police inspector, Nicholas Vella, who investigated the case of leading a one-sided investigation after the inspector failed to follow-up on certain potential evidence.

Magistrate Carol Peralta ruled that the police officers in question be granted the right to a lawyer.

Last week, the magistrate was also contemplating whether he should order a magisterial inquiry, apart from the internal inquiry conducted by the Police’s Internal Affairs. But nothing was mentioned on this particular issue.

Mosta health centre doctors, police sergeant testify

A number of doctors stationed at the Mosta health centre who saw to the injuries of the three persons involved in the incident in the early hours of the morning on 3 May and issued the medical certificates testified in court.

The doctors said that the officers suffered light injuries and they did not feel the need to order an X-ray. As for Mr Aquilina, the results of tests to determine whether he sustained internal fractures proved negative while the doctor who saw to him said that his injuries were also light.

When a set of photos were exhibited in court showing the injuries sustained by both parties, Dr de Marco argued that an injury to the nose of one of the police officers was so light that he could hardly identify it with the naked eye.

Dr de Marco also called on the prosecution to “regularise its position” in the light of the new development, in terms of having certain charges of the accused withdrawn, but the prosecution argued that since there is a lack of information on the nature of the charges the police will face, it is far too early for the prosecution to take such a decision.

Police Sergeant Kevin Camilleri who is in the same police squad as PC Tonna and PC Camilleri said that when he was despatched to the scene of the incident, he noted that the eyes and face of the accused were red and he was in a state of rage. He said that both him and his colleague were the ones who handcuffed Mr Aquilina.

When Dr de Marco cross-examined the sergeant whether he had spoken about the incident with the two police officers ever since it happened, he replied in the negative and said that he spoke to them on other issues but not tied to the incident in question. Dr de Marco warned the sergeant that he was under oath to which the sergeant reiterated that he hadn’t spoken to them on this case.

PS Camilleri also stated that when they went on site, the partner of Mr Aquilina – who was in a state of panic - told them (the officers on site) that they should be ashamed of themselves.

GWU claims that senior police officials told policemen involved in Mgarr incident ‘not to let anyone use them’

GWU claims that senior police officials told policemen involved in Mgarr incident ‘not to let anyone use them or their case’

General Workers’ Union secretary general Tony Zarb condemned the ‘advice’ allegedly given by three top ranking police officers to the two RIU policemen involved in the Mgarr incident not to let anyone use them and their case. The GWU is claiming that the high-ranking police officers were referring to the Police Officer Union the two RIU police officers are members of.

The POC’s president is Inspector Sandro Camilleri.

The GWU said that these words were said to the RIU police officers soon after they were informed they would face criminal proceedings. The two were informed following the first hearing held last week. The GWU said that the senior officers are Inspectors Ramon Mercieca, Jesmond Micallef and Geoffrey Azzopardi.

The union said that the three inspectors told the two RIU police that what they did is political and if they were in the same situation as them, they would ask an independent lawyer to defend them.

The two policemen are being represented by GWU lawyers.