The Nationalist Party has called on government to apologise to traffic police officers arraigned in the alleged overtime racket five years ago, after the Court acquitted the first four officers out of 40 and condemned the authorities for staging a “media spectacle” that tarnished their reputations.

PN MP Darren Carabott issued a statement on Monday, saying that government must now apologise after the spectacle it staged five years ago when 40 police officers were “hauled” before the courts over an alleged overtime fraud racket.

“With the first four traffic police officers cleared of all charges, the Court has issued a stinging rebuke to both the government and the Attorney General for turning the arraignments into a media show, irreparably tarnishing the officers’ reputations in the process,” Carabott said.

He said that five years ago, the Labour Government paraded 40 officers before the courts, making headlines with allegations of overtime abuse.

Now, half a decade later, as the first acquittals are being handed down and the Court censured those who pursued the case, Carabott said that not a single public apology has been made to the officers whose lives and careers were dragged through the mud.

“While the four acquitted officers have received no apology, the rest continue to face proceedings five years after being charged. Worse still, the prosecution has still not presented all the evidence it claimed to have against them,” Carabott said.

He said that this raises serious doubts about the leadership of the Police Force, and meanwhile, the reputations of these officers, and the wellbeing of their families, remain in limbo.

“Around 40 Traffic Section officers were arraigned in 2020 in connection with the alleged overtime racket. The Nationalist Party noted that in all this time, government has failed to replace the suspended officers or ensure that the Traffic Section has the manpower needed to properly carry out its duties,” Carabott said.

He said that the PN also highlighted the Court’s damning remarks following the first acquittals, where it strongly censured both the Police Force and the Attorney General for fuelling a media spectacle.

He said that the Court stated that: “This Court firmly believes that whoever breaks the law should be sanctioned. Nevertheless, caution when a person is accused and subsequently brought before the Courts is something that must be given great importance and attention. This is being said in view of the fact that here we are dealing with individuals whose lives end up drastically affected, both personally and professionally, after undergoing criminal proceedings. The Attorney General must ensure there truly is a reason to lodge an appeal, and not simply consider whether the case is one that will create a media sensation. Here we are dealing with a person’s liberty.”

He said that in this powerful statement, the contrast is stark, that the Government rushed to trumpet the arraignment of 40 officers, but has remained silent as the first acquittals emerge.

He said that this is happening at a time when Malta urgently needs a fully functioning Traffic Section to deal with dangerous road conditions and to restore public trust in the Police Force.

“The Nationalist Party expresses its gratitude to police officers and road enforcement authorities who, in all circumstances, continue to provide an essential service to the country,” Carabott said.

‘The lesson should be taken by the PN’ – PL

The Opposition spokesperson for Home Affairs is either absent minded or wants to deceive as it was the Nationalist Party and its media that sensationalised the mentioned case, the Labour Party said in a statement in reply.

The PL said that the PN had criticised the government for not making “a show in Parliament” over the case – behaviour that the PN is renowned for.

The party said that the part of the court decision that Carabott quoted from concerning media campaigns mostly apply to him and the Nationalist Party, adding that this is not the only case where this is such.

“The Labour Party also recalls that when, with a sense of fairness, action was taken to stop pending proceedings so that the same people will not be suspended from the entire Public Service, the Nationalist Party was among those who did not support this measure,” the PL said.

The party said that when it comes to the working conditions of the Police, the Nationalist Party cannot give any lessons as when it was in Government it did not even pay the officials for the overtime they worked.

“It was the Labour Party in Government that addressed the injustices left behind by the Nationalist Government, and it was also Labour Government that gave the best conditions and wages to the Police,” the PL said.