Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/163731
15 News This emerged after Inspector Taliana had to seek advice on how to prepare one. "The board also suggests that, as much as possible, the various police department should avoid not knowing what's going in related investigations. The Borg-Grech case shows the need for absolute accessibility on individuals arraigned and those who are being held in preventive custody," the report recommends. The Police Board said there were serious shortcomings in the procedures adopted by the Police Corps when two individuals were arraigned, separately accused of committing the same crime. "It's serious that a person was held in custody while the police knew well he was innocent and failed to take the necessary steps to free him," the board said. The board concluded that Taliana failed to take the necessary steps which would have immediately freed Borg from prison while a second man was pleading guilty to the charges. "Inspector Taliana failed to cooperate with the other police officers who worked on the case and instead proceeded hastily alone without communicating with his colleagues or superiors," the Police Board said. It argued that Taliana kept his silence while "being fully aware" that a second person had been accused of the same crime. "The board recommends that steps should be taken to avoid a repetition of this case while the Police Commissioner should take disciplinary measures against Elton Taliana for his serious shortcoming," Judge Depasquale, who has been heading the board for the past 10 years, concluded. Minister accuses Azzopardi of 'great political immaturity' Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia described the MP's statements as "politically immature and unfair." maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2013 Manuel Mallia He accused Azzopardi of being "irresponsible" for criticising the Police Board while its investigations were ongoing, risking prejudicing the case. Reiterating his trust in Judge Emeritus Franco Depasquale, Mallia said the government held back from commenting on the case and the inquiry report and chose to publish the report without "pomposity". "However, Jason Azzopardi adopted an irresponsible approach and decided to criticise the Police Board while it was conducting its investigation. Maturity and responsibility demand a different approach," Mallia said, adding that the Opposition should have taken a back seat and waited for the board's conclusions before discussing it in public. "I ask Azzopardi to shoulder his responsibility. One shouldn't comment and defend somebody else without knowing what the outcome of the process is." He also warned that the case was now to appear before the Permanent Disciplinary Board and one should therefore refrain from expressing any opinions on the report, especially since more than one person could appear before the board. "This is not a political issue and should not be used by anyone to try and gain political mileage. It's about a person who was accused of a crime he didn't commit and the next step is to see how this should be avoided," Mal- lia said. He also noted that it's up to the Courts to decide whether a person was guilty or not. Mallia, who was away on holiday while the controversy dominated the headlines, said he couldn't believe what was going on. "I always believed that one should not jump to conclusions before the report is concluded. Yet, Azzopardi attacked the board, reflecting the Opposition's immaturity. And even when the board was still listening to the witnesses, Azzopardi was already hitting out at the independence of the board," Mallia said. The minister added that contrary to what happened in previous legislatures, the government published the report in its entirety. "The report doesn't condemn anyone, it doesn't reach any conclusions apart from providing its recommendations," Mallia said, adding that the board had gone through the facts thoroughly. While stressing that he would not comment on the report, since the case is still open, Mallia said that Azzopardi had arrived at erroneous conclusions. The minister underlined the board's independence and said that it was made up of people holding different political beliefs, stressing that Azzopardi was wrong in attacking the board members. He insisted it was untrue that the board, which includes the wife of a Labour MP and a Nexos employee, lacked independence. "Judge a person from his credentials and the work he carries out and not whom he knows," he said. Mallia said that he was perplexed at how an experienced inspector was not capable of drafting a charge sheet properly or how he passed on information to people who were not involved in the case. "And this is a matter we have to address across the whole of the Police Corps. We should look at this report and seek how to improve our forces," Mallia said. "With 38 years of experience in criminal law behind me, I know people who were arrested, faced juries and were then liberated." Mallia explained that CID's leadership remained unchanged from the previous legislature and reiterated his trust in the CID members. Fending off criticism which saw his ministry at the heart of alleged involvement with Charles Attard, Mallia said his ministry had nothing to hide. "Is it being suggested that the government shouldn't listen to someone because he had been convicted? We were elected to listen to everyone and not a selected portion of the population," he said. Jazon Azzopardi lambasts report The Opposition MP insisted the Police Board wrongfully sanctioned Inspector Taliana and let members of the Criminal Investigation Department get away scot-free. Azzopardi shed doubt on the board's independence and insisted that Taliana was not at fault. Azzopardi said that the police board, headed by former judge Franco Depasquale, was "appointed by Joseph Muscat and proceeded against inspector Elton Taliana, who carried Jason Azzopardi out his duty and arraigned in court the person who was in fact guilty of crime." The MP insisted that although the board was presided over by an independent person "this didn't make the board independent." "The decision flies in the face of reason. It condemned a person who resolved a crime. The board condemned a person who carried out his duties and followed the law," Azzopardi said. He added that the public now expects an explanation of why the error was made and why an innocent man was arraigned in court by the CID and spent two days in prison. Azzopardi also said the 13-page report was mostly concerned with Taliana and had no criticism of the CID's actions. "Why wasn't the CID leadership criticised? Does this have anything to do with promotions at the CID promised before the March election?" The report also exposed a series of other shortcomings, Azzopardi said, asking, "Who will shoulder responsibility for these shortcomings?" "Is meritocracy now demanding that a person carrying out a job be crucified? Does meritocracy mean that who carries out his or her duty faces the flak while those who do the wrongdoing get out scot-free?" In reference to the report's conclusion that Taliana was legally obliged to speak to the Magistrate on duty in regards to the mistaken arrest, Azzopardi was quizzed whether the inspector was duty bound to report to his superiors. The MP insisted that Taliana was not legally bound to inform his superiors and instead reiterated that the inspector was wrongfully sanctioned for "carrying out his duties". Pressed about whether Taliana had committed an error, Azzopardi insisted Elton Taliana carried out his duty appropriately. mdalli@mediatoday.com.mt Fantastic deals on all our Kitchens this month Mill Street, Qormi | 2278 2000 | www.joinwell.com.mt