The police are investigating an incident wherein a fisherman allegedly passed security at the Fisheries Department and attacked an official engaged with the department, The Malta Independent has learnt.
The incident occurred on Friday 30 September, when a fisherman bypassed security at the Department of Fisheries’ offices at Ghammieri and allegedly assaulted an official who suffers from physical disabilities.
The official was, according to sources who spoke to this newsroom, punched in the head before other officials at the office realised what was happening and stepped in to stop the attack.
A police spokesperson confirmed to this newsroom that the incident was under investigation, while a spokesperson for the Parliamentary Secretariat for Fisheries said that a police report had been filed.
“As a Ministry we can confirm that a Police report was filed by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture on the 30th of September and the investigation is currently ongoing. As a ministry we condemn any actions of aggression across the board,” the ministerial spokesperson said.
However, sources within the department told The Malta Independent that there was initially reluctance on the part of the department to file charges over the matter and that it was the victim himself who filed the charges first.
The attack has left a bitter taste in the mouths of other officials who feel that they are not safe anymore, particularly as the alleged aggressor got through their department’s security gate to allegedly attack the official.
Sources also told The Malta Independent that the fisherman in question – whose identity is known to this newsroom – was allowed to go out fishing “as if nothing had happened” the following Monday, even though an attack on a fisheries official should, by law, result in the immediate withdrawal of a fisherman’s license.
Questions about this were not answered by the Parliamentary Secretariat.
It is not the first time that the fisherman has had violent brushes with the law: in recent years he was charged at least twice with attacking and injuring fellow sailors over mistakes which they had made while carrying out their work.