Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1391768
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 JULY 2021 NEWS The prisoners who died since 2018 7 June, 2018 – Mamadou Sakine, 35 Sakine was in preventive arrest on rape accusations. He was residing in Division 3, Cell 150 and was found unconscious inside his cell at around 6:30am by pris- on guards. According to the magisterial inquiry led by Magistrate Joe Mifsud, the man died at Mater Dei Hospital at around 7:41am. At the time of his death, Sakine, a Muslim, was fasting since it was Rama- dan. Blood tests found no illicit substanc- es in Sakine's blood. Pathologists who carried out the autopsy said the death was "provisionally certified as being due to natural causes, namely coronary artery thrombosis". 11 December, 2018 – Seajay Cardona, 26 Cardona was serving time in prison for assaulting his ex-partner. His death is suspected to be a suicide. The magisterial inquiry into his death is still ongoing. The inquiry started under Magistrate Audrey Demicoli but has to be assigned to some- one else since she became a judge. 26 December, 2018 – Steven Farrugia, 34 Farrugia was in prison on several con- victions, including drugs and theft. He was found unconscious in his cell, hours after complaining of chest pain and ask- ing for painkillers. Inquiry is still ongo- ing. 13 March, 2019 – Noel Calleja, 39 Calleja was in prison pending his trial for attempted murder and domestic vio- lence. His death is suspected to be a sui- cide. Inquiry is still ongoing. 27 October, 2019 – Mario Jean-Paul Car- melo Fenech Fenech was found unconscious in his cell and taken to hospital, where he died. His death is suspected to be a suicide. The inquiry started under Magistrate Audrey Demicoli but has to be assigned to some- one else since she became a judge. 25 November, 2019 – Francis Formosa, 49 Formosa died after being found uncon- scious in his cell with no signs of external violence. The magisterial inquiry led by Yana Micallef Stafrace is still ongoing. 29 November, 2019 – Ben Ali Wahid Ben Hassine, 57 Hassine was serving a life sentence for the four murders he committed in 1988. Reports at the time suggested that he at- tempted suicide. He died at Mater Dei Hospital several days after being hospi- talised but no inquiry was launched. 24 February, 2020 - John Attard, 72 Attard was an accomplice in the stab- bing of traffic warden Fortunata Spiteri, 19 years ago. Attard was being held in Division 1, Cell 58 and his lifeless body was found at 6:55am. Medical experts appointed by Magistrate Joe Mifsud certified that At- tard died of natural causes. Pathologists indicated the cause of death as "coronary artery disease and myocardial hypertro- phy". 5 September, 2020 – Gordon Calleja, 45 Calleja had been charged over the at- tempted murder of a pastizzi shop sell- er. He was found dead in his cell. The authorities said he died of natural caus- es. Calleja was being held in Division 12, Cell 21 and his lifeless body was found at around 7:10am. Medical experts appointed by Magis- trate Neville Camilleri concluded that the cause of death was "acute myocardial in- sufficiency secondary to ischaemic heart disease (problems caused by narrowed heart arteries)". The death was described as a natural death. 7 September, 2020 – Nazzareno Mifsud, 57 Mifsud was facing extradition proceed- ings to be sent to the US where he was wanted for molesting two boys. He was being held in Division 3, Cell 118 along with another inmate. The magisterial inquiry led by Magis- trate Charmaine Galea established that between 4pm and 5pm, as was his right, Mifsud decided to remain inside his cell during the break period. When his cellmate returned at 5pm, he found Mifsud hanging by a tie from his bed. The man was given initial treatment in prison and transferred to Mater Dei Hospital shortly afterwards but attempts to resuscitate him proved futile. Doctors said the cause of death was "as- phyxia due to hanging". 19 November, 2020 – Ihtisham Ihtish- am, 25 Pakistani national Ihtisham Ihtisham was serving a six-month jail term for be- ing in possession of a forged identity doc- ument. He was found dead in his cell. Ihtisham was being held in Division Only five magisterial inquiries from 12 concerning prison deaths since 2018 have been concluded The numbers Since 2018, 12 prison inmates have died in circumstances that warranted a magisterial inquiry. Concluded inquiries: 5 Certified deaths by suicide: 1 Certified deaths by natural causes: 4 Pending inquiries: 7 Pending inquiries suspected sui- cides: 4 KURT SANSONE ONLY five magisterial inquiries from the 12 initiated since 2018 following the death of prison in- mates have been concluded. Inquiry conclusions seen by MaltaToday show that out of these five deaths, one was a su- icide and the other four were attributed to natural causes by pathologists. Four of the five concluded inquiries concern the deaths that happened at the Corradino Correctional Facility last year. The other concerns a death that happened in 2018. In each of the four certified natural deaths, pathologists who performed the autopsies concluded that the men died from various heart problems. The magisterial conclusions found no evidence of neglect by the prison authorities in all five deaths. In the case of Pakistani nation- al Ihtisham Ihtisham, who was found dead in his cell at CCF on 19 November 2020, the pa- thologists certified his death as being caused by a disease of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy) that can lead to sudden death. The Pakistani's sudden death caused outrage last year with family members insisting that he did not suffer from any med- ical condition. Blood tests found no traces of illegal substances, with pathol- ogists noting that in more than a quarter of cases like those of Ihtisham Ihtisham, "genetic fac- tors" played a role. His death came hot on the heels of two other deaths in prison, one of them a suicide, just two months earlier. The inmate who performed suicide last year had stayed in- side his cell, as was his right, in the one-hour break given to prisoners between 4pm and 5pm. He was found dead by his cellmate, who raised the alarm. The magisterial inquiry con- cluded that there was no foul play and the pathologists' re- port put the death down to as- phyxia due to hanging. The fifth inquiry to be con- cluded is that concerning the death of a 35-year-old man in June 2018. Despite the inmate's relatively young age, the pathol- ogists' report identified "coro- nary artery thrombosis" as the cause of death. The CCF administration has been under pressure over the past few years as a result of the number of deaths among in- mates. Since June 2018 there have been 12 deaths in prison. These include the death of a 29-year- old woman last Sunday, who was admitted to hospital after attempting suicide three weeks earlier. The woman, who was waiting to enter a drug rehabilitation programme was sent to prison last February. She was being followed by the prison's medical staff and was receiving meth- adone treatment. At law, drug addicts would have to serve at least six months in jail before being able to join a drug rehab programme. Punisher? Prison direc- tor Lt. Col. Alex Dalli. His tenure has been marred by criticism