Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1263074
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 24 JUNE 2020 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Sources close to the investi- gation said Magistrate Doreen Clarke is leading the inquiry, which is also probing claims that Fenech had passed on some €120,000 to Nationalist Party officials, which money allegedly never made it to the party's coffers. Theuma testified in the pub- lic inquiry that Fenech once told him that he had offered money to the PN so that it would obstruct David Casa's candidacy in last year's Euro- pean Parliament election. Theuma's allegation was re- peated last year by now PN MP David Thake, who had asked Delia during a Xarabank programme about claims that Fenech had offered €50,000 to obstruct Casa's re-election. At the time, Delia said he knew nothing of the claims and urged Thake to go to the police. However, in court yester- day, Keith Schembri, former chief of staff to Joseph Muscat, claimed to have been told by Fenech that Delia had asked for €50,000 to stop Casa's election bid. Schembri also claimed that former PN head of media Pierre Portelli used to go to Portomaso to collect €20,000 every time from Fenech. Delia and Portelli have de- nied the allegations in sworn affidavits. Thake was asked to give a statement at the police depot last Saturday after he distanced himself from a PN statement denying Theuma's claims. Thake had told MaltaToday that the party leadership had to shoulder responsibility for the denial. MaltaToday had reported that in a stormy meeting of the PN parliamentary group on Sunday, Thake called on Delia to resign. The MP later described the report as "fake news". But PN sources have said the latest court revelations have cast serious doubts on Delia's ability to continue leading the party. KURT SANSONE THE police's economic crimes unit has a new head in a bid to inject fresh impetus in the fight against financial crime, the new police chief said. Angelo Gafà, who formally became po- lice commissioner yesterday, announced the decision in a press conference at po- lice headquarters in Floriana. Assistant Police Commissioner Alexan- dra Mamo has been tasked to take over the headship of the ECU, which has come under the spotlight for its failure to inves- tigate and prosecute money laundering cases. Mamo replaces Assistant Commissioner Ian Abdilla, who came under heavy crit- icism for what many believe was his re- luctance to probe corruption allegations involving people in high places. "Mamo is a lawyer and has expertise in the sector. This is part of a wider re-or- ganisation because we need to give a clear indication that things are changing… I am conscious that the police force has a spot- light on it as regards money laundering investigations and this is why we need a change," Gafà said. He said the change did not reflect any wrongdoing on Abdilla's part. "There has been criticism levelled towards Ian Abdil- la and doubts have been sown in people's heads, which is why we have to eliminate those doubts through this change. If I be- come aware of any wrongdoings by Abdil- la, he will be investigated like anyone else, but today I am not aware of wrongdoing," Gafà said. He pledged that every case of corruption will be investigated and the police will not wait for someone to instruct it to do so. "We have an obligation to investigate of our own accord and that is what we will be doing," he insisted. Asked about allegations involving peo- ple in politics, Gafà insisted that he was not one to look at faces. "Names do not impress me," he said. "Anybody who could be involved in wrongdoing, whoever it may be, will be investigated and if we have proof to pros- ecute, we will do so," Gafà said. Dedicated domestic violence unit Gafà said that a dedicated domestic vi- olence unit within the police force would be set up in the comings weeks. "The selection process for this is already underway to see which officers in the corps would be the best fit for the unit," he said, highlighting that the creation of such a wing was one of the GRECO report's recommendations. A specialised unit to tackle hate crime would also be launched, he said. "Hate crimes often take place online, so we need a centralised unit to focus on this." Extending community policing Gafà said he also aimed to extend com- munity policing. "Community policing means we will have more police on the roads engaging and communicating with the public. This, in turn, which mean the public will become more comfortable to come forward with information [on crime]." The priority, he said, would be crime prevention. "The police are only part of a larger chain of services for the citizen, and of a framework which provides for a safer community." He went on to underline the need for the police to make better use of technology. "It is clear the public are increasingly going online, so we must facilitate online servic- es. If COVID-19 didn't have any benefits, it at least showed us how keen the public are to be able to file police reports online." Gafà added that a number of crimes had been identified for which it would be pos- sible for the public to file reports online rather than go to a police station in per- son. Police unit fighting financial crime gets new head as new commissioner introduces change Assistant Commissioner Alexandra Mamo Magistrate investigating claims Fenech paid PN €120,000 that never made it to party's coffers Yorgen Fenech