Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/357188
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 3 AUGUST 2014 2014 3 News Mishandled rescue exposes ministerial rift CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The news of the disappearance led the Office of the Prime Minister to take com- mand of the whole rescue operation with principal permanent secretary Mario Cutajar heading the opera- tion. Consul Marisa Farrugia's involve- ment in the case was also a surprise to many in government circles, since she had been under police investiga- tion in connection with allegations of visas in the Tripoli consulate be- ing fast-tracked against payment. For several weeks, Farrugia had not reported for work at the foreign ministry pending a police investiga- tion that started under former police commissioner Peter Paul Zammit. She had been questioned about al- legations on her role in the alleged visa scam for Libyan nationals apply- ing for entry into Malta. Police sources who spoke to Mal- taToday said that it was unclear why the investigations under Peter Paul Zammit were never concluded, al- though one suggested that the inves- tigation "appeared to be have been carried out half-heartedly" by the former police commissioner. Farru- gia had been recalled from Tripoli by the police to answer their questions and had not been allowed to return by the foreign ministry. Although she was not suspended from the for- eign ministry she could not report for work. But one of the first steps acting police commissioner Ray Zammit took upon replacing Peter Paul Zammit was to conclude the in- vestigation: due to a lack of any hard evidence implicating Farrugia, the consul was asked to report to work, and immediately was roped in to re- place Maltese consul officials in the Tripoli embassy who had been with- drawn over the visa scam allegations in the weeks leading to the fall of the Gaddafi regime. On her return to work, Marisa Farrugia's extensive knowledge of Tripoli's complex political network and her fluency in the Arabic lan- guage left the foreign ministry no option but to use her services. Contrasting reports of who was crucial in identifying Martin Galea's whereabouts started in MaltaTo- day's report, which named the Liby- an interlocutors contacted by envoy Mannie Galea to track down Galea. Khaled Ebrahim Ben Nasan stated on record that it was a Zintani mili- tiamen, Ayman al Madani, who also spoke to MaltaToday, who located Galea after having been captured in the criminal swamp of the Warshefa- na tribal region. But Ebrahim's claims that the Mal- tese oil worker had not been abduct- ed in Libya, but taken in for "his own safety" during a shelling, contrasted with claims by Galea himself who says he was subjected to physical violence. Even then however, Galea's own claims of having been forced to hit himself with a wooden stick that had spikes in it in, appeared contra- dicted by the government's insist- ence that medical staff who exam- ined Galea on arrival found no visible signs of physical violence. Indeed, after Martin Galea's arrival at MIA airport, the prime minister's spokesman Kurt Farrugia appeared unwilling to confirm that Galea was indeed abducted. It was only last Thursday, when Mario Cutajar ad- dressed a news briefing on the day that Martin Galea released an in- terview to the Malta Independent, that the government declared that – based on the debriefing with the Malta Security Services – Galea had been abducted. Again however, Cutajar reiterated that there was no physical evidence of any harm done to Galea, leaving observers perplexed at the harrow- ing detail of Galea's claims. Playing down the abduction claim, the Libyan businessman Khaled Eb- rahim Ben Nasan – who presented himself as a representative of a 'sub-committee for the fight against corruption and smuggling in Libya' – claimed it was ambassador Man- nie Galea who asked him to locate Martin Galea. "When Martin Galea was found, I called the ambassador at 4:45am to let him know that he was alive and well." In the hours that followed, ar- rangements were made for Galea to be transferred to the consulate in Tripoli – and the Zintanis escorted him to the consulate. It is understood that the Zintanis suggested it would be much safer to take Galea across the Tunisian border and into the hands of Maltese diplomats in Tunis. But the Maltese government insisted that they would prefer it if Galea was taken to the Maltese consulate and left Libya by air from Mitiga airport. On his return to Malta, Martin Galea went out of his way to specifi- cally thank the government and con- sul Marisa Farrugia for "saving [his] life" although not the Prime minister by name. The scene at MIA played out the apparent rift between the OPM and the foreign ministry: George Vella, foreign minister, hugged Marisa Far- rugia as she walked onto the apron – she flew on the Medavia flight back with Martin Galea – while Joseph Muscat restricted himself to shake Galea's hand and address a brief press conference. Martin Galea ap- peared composed as he relayed his gratitude to the people involved in his rescue, his relief and glee unbur- dened by the trauma on show during his interview four days later. The prime minister appeared un- willing to turn the media coup to his own benefit, to take credit for the rescue of a Maltese national captured by a criminal gang in Libya. "We chose our words carefully to protect Galea's life especially when we didn't have the full picture of the situation," spokesperson Kurt Farrugia said two days later. "We were still evaluating the situation, and the word 'abduc- tion' was used by the media. We al- ways made it clear that the govern- ment never had direct contact with whoever took him." In between the visa allegations – which are borne by frustrations amongst Libyans that their passports were being held for months on end at the Tripoli consulate – and the lack of information on the circumstances of the abduction, the relations be- tween the OPM and the foreign ministry have obfuscated the way the Martin Galea crisis was handled by top government staff and aides. Hyundai- chartered ferry brings back 251 from Libya MIRIAM DALLI 251 passengers have arrived in Malta on a chartered trip on a Virtu Ferries catamaran from Tripoli. Apart from 13 crew, 25 Mal- tese nationals arrived onboard the catamaran. Representatives from the South Korean embassy were also present to welcome some passengers. Henri Saliba, one of the direc- tors of Virtu Ferries, said the ferry was chartered by Hyundai to ferry out its employees, who include Filipino, Indian, Bang- ladeshi, and South Korean workers. "Virtu Ferries will be on standby over requests from companies to depart to Libya to ferry back workers," Saliba said. The Maltese, who left Tripoli at 1pm yesterday, did not pay for the trip following arrange- ments the government made with the ferry company. Virtu Ferries, the government said, offered to bring back the Maltese on the same ferry trip chartered by an international company to evacuate its work- ers in Libya. "Virtu Ferries in- formed the government of this development so as to notify any Maltese in Libya who wanted to come back," the ministry for foreign affairs said. The government is also work- ing to assist Maltese in Beng- hazi who want to leave the North African country. Given that a ship from Malta is being readied for the evacuation of Filipinos, the Maltese govern- ment is trying to secure a place for Maltese nationals on this same ship. The departure of the Mal- tese nationals on the chartered ferry was coordinated by the Maltese government. Marisa Farrugia allghting from the private jet last Monday, followed by Martin Galea