Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/550022
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 AUGUST 2015 12 News JURGEN BALZAN THE findings in Judge Michael Mallia's inquiry report exposed the links former police inspector Daniel Zammit had with the Gaf- farena family and entertainment mogul Hugo Chetcuti. The conclusions of the inquiry into allegations about the Zam- mits – former acting police com- missioner Ray Zammit and his sons Daniel and Roderick who still serves as a police inspector – were published on Thursday after being commissioned by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Daniel Zammit's "unethical" in- volvement as co-prosecutor on the murder charges against Stephen Caruana, the son-in-law of Joe Gaffarena, with whom Zammit and his family are in business, is the inquiry's most damning con- clusion. The Zammit family's dealings with the Gaffarenas started in 2009, when the former police of- ficer and his brother bought land which previously belonged to the Gaffarena family, and a year later the two families became business partners. Judge Mallia recommended the Attorney General to look into the possibility that Zammit may have traded in influence, which is a criminal act. The inquiry also concluded that Roderick Zammit's actions were "censurable" and that disciplinary steps should be taken against him, while it also said that Ray Zammit, now appointed CEO of the na- tional wardens' agency, was "cen- surable" but that his actions were not "entirely serious". However, the inquiry has a number of flaws, especially in the manner the investigations were conducted. Judges' interviews in inquiry Apart from interviewing the Zammits, Judge Mallia also called the representative of the Malta Financial Services Authority, Claudette Fenech, police registrar Mario Spiteri, former police com- missioners John Rizzo and Peter Paul Zammit, current commis- sioner of police Michael Cassar, Daniel Zammit's former father- in-law George Buttigieg [formerly a business partner], permanent secretary in the home affairs min- istry Kevin Mahoney, court expert Dr Martin Bajada and Labour MP and notary Charles Mangion. The Gaffarena link Despite concluding that Daniel Zammit stalled the murder charge against Joe Gaffarena's son-in-law while the Zammits and the Gaf- farenas were business partners, Judge Mallia failed to interview Joe Gaffarena. Judge Mallia also pointed out that that the murder scene-of-the- crime was demolished by Joe Gaf- farena and a block of apartments built instead without any court's permission. Mallia said that Joe Gaffarena was "a dubious character, with a copious penal record, principally where breach of construction rules are concerned," yet he was not in- terviewed during the inquiry. Hugo's friend The inquiry found that Daniel Zammit, a shareholder in Di- abolik Entertainment with Luke Chetcuti, son of Hugo, threw a birthday party for his brother Roderick at the sumptuous villa of Hugo Chetcuti, the owner of various Paceville entertainment hub establishments. Although Mallia described Chetcuti as a "dubious character whose copious penal record in- cludes regular breaches of rules on his Paceville establishments," the Judge did not interview the entrepreneur. While the Zammits claimed their friendship with Chetcuti was one of a simple "hello and goodbye", Mallia revealed that the brothers had a "close friend- ship" with Chetcuti and Daniel Zammit's birthday bash was cele- brated at the impresario's €6 mil- lion Villa Isis in Madliena. "The fact that the two inspec- tors organised this birthday par- ty, even though they paid noth- ing, still puts them in a pecuniary obligation in the sense of the law, making them obliged towards Chetcuti for offering them the venue," Mallia said. Daniel and Roderick Zammit were both transferred back from district police postings to the Son Luke and father Hugo Chetcuti Sumptuous: Hugo Chetcuti's villa in Madliena Judge's inquiry confirms fears about the Zammits Judge fails to call key protagonists