Corradino Correctional Facility chief Colonel Alex Dalli is currently receiving half his salary as part of the terms of his self-suspension.
Asked by The Malta Independent, a spokesperson for the Ministry for Home Affairs said that Dalli, who suspended himself from his role after the suicide of yet another prison inmate earlier this week, is on half-pay as part of his suspension.
“Mr Dalli is no longer involved in the management and day-to-day running of the Correctional Services Agency,” the spokesperson said.
Dalli suspended himself from his position on Wednesday after the inmate, Arun Jose, was found dead in his cell during the guard handover. The Correctional Services Agency has since said that all indications pointed towards Jose’s death being a suicide, adding that a note was found near the man’s body.
Jose is the 14th inmate to die inside Corradino’s walls since Dalli took over as prison chief in 2018 and the seventh to die from suspected suicide.
Two other inmates – Kim Nicolas Borg Virtu and Colin Galea – also died in suspected suicides this year.
Borg Virtu’s father has since recounted how prison guards would torment her and leave her in isolation for minor issues and has subsequently sued the state and prison authorities over her death.
Two prison guards were, on the same day as Jose’s suicide and Dalli’s subsequent self-suspension, charged with involuntary homicide in connection with her death. Her case is the only one which has seen action taken in court against members of the prison.
Galea’s suicide meanwhile – little over a month later – which came after it was known that Galea was self-harming, prompted Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri to set up an inquiry into practices and procedures inside the prison.
That inquiry is still ongoing after having its two-month deadline extended.
Dalli has been under significant pressure to step aside over a worrying number of deaths within the prison's walls and over stories emerging about questionable practices, including torture and solitary confinement, being used. He has however continued to receive government’s backing with government-friendly media even running stories aimed at discrediting former inmates who have decided to speak out against Dalli's leadership.
The pressure has since extended to Home Affairs Minister Camilleri, with many questioning why the minister had failed to take action against Dalli despite the accusations and allegations that he was facing.
The Nationalist Party, other NGOs and academics are now calling for Camilleri to step aside over his failure to remove Dalli from his role earlier.
Former director of operations of Red Cross Malta and head of the detention services Robert Brincau has taken on Dalli’s role in a temporary capacity.