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Under pressure, Joseph Muscat launches inquiry to establish political responsibility for claimed cover-up Newspaper post YOUR FIRST READ AND FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT maltatoday SUNDAY • 23 NOVEMBER 2014 • ISSUE 785 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY MIRIAM DALLI PRIME Minister Joseph Muscat has bowed to pressure to focus the crosshairs of an independ- ent inquiry on Manuel Mallia's ministerial staff, and what happened on Wednesday evening to provoke the Opposition's allegations of a 'cover- up' on the shooting incident involving security driver Paul Sheehan, a police constable. Questions will be raised on the home affairs minister's chief of staff Silvio Scerri, who called MaltaToday on the night of the incident to 'cor- rect' the newspaper's initial report and insist that the shots Sheehan fired into a vehicle were "warning shots" fired in the air. It was only on Thursday morning that photos showing the bullet holes in the rear of Stephen Smith's vehicle corroborated the original re- port. Muscat has gone on record saying that Mal- lia, who at the time of the incident was at the Floriana police headquarters, was neither on the scene nor had he given any instructions to Sheehan, almost exonerating his minister from political responsibility. There is no doubt that the Office of the Prime Minister, irked at having had Budget 2015 to- tally eclipsed by the shooting incident, will be looking for responsibility to be carried at some level or other. While Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has insisted that Mallia should resign, with a mag- isterial inquiry underway Muscat yesterday an- nounced a government inquiry to establish po- litical responsibility into the incident. Busuttil deftly rebuffed the Prime Minister's invitation – via Twitter – to nominate the retired judge that will head the inquiry: "Stop 'shooting' from the hip," Busuttil punned. "Stand up to be counted. It's your mess, now deal with it." While Smith, arrested for driving under the influence, was released some 40 hours later on Friday afternoon, questions abound on the cul- pability of Sheehan himself. Sheehan gave chase to Smith after the Scots- man hit the stationary home affairs minister's government car on Nicholas Cotoner Street, in Gzira. Witnesses told the police that Sheehan caught up with Smith on Triq il-Wied tal-Kappara, just outside the national swimming pool, and exited the damaged car with a revolver in his hand. Smith got out of his car, an Opel Insignia, with a beer bottle in his hand, and reportedly asked Sheehan why was he carrying a firearm, before returning to his car and speeding off. Sheehan gave chase and – sources told Malta- Today – allegedly opened fire along Edgar Bon- nici Street, suggesting he could have shot from inside the moving vehicle, hitting the left end of the car roof, just above the rear windscreen, and the right hand side of the bumper. INQUIRY THAT IS SET TO GIVE LABOUR'S NEXT RESIGNATION PAGE 4 €1.20 EUROVISION 'WARRIOR' AMBER TAKING MALTA TO EUROVISION • PAGE 3 Ministry official insisted 'warning shots were fired' • Sheehan allegedly fired gun while driving ministerial car PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN PISANI Paul Sheehan, left, has been suspended from both driving and police duties after shooting twice at Stephen Smith's car while in the ministerial car Television trauma revisited INTERVIEW • 'No gain for the middle class in Budget 2015' PAGES 12-13 Why Maltese TV stations have to become more selective • PAGE 17 INTERVIEW • TONIO FENECH