Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/551192
JURGEN BALZAN THE Police Officers' Union has demanded a meeting with police chief Michael Cassar to clarif y the circular issued last week in which all police officers were or- dered to declare their commer- cial interests. "In principle I agree with de- claring all interests because I'm for absolute transparency but we have demanded a meeting with the Police Commissioner be- cause the circular is very vague," union president Sandro Camill- eri told MaltaToday. The circular ordering a decla- ration of interests as required by law was issued 24 hours before the publication of an inquiry into the involvement of former inspector Daniel Zammit in the investigations of a 2008 murder. Among its conclusions, the inquiry said that Zammit, his father, the former acting com- missioner Ray, and his brother and police inspector Roderick, all failed to ask for permission to enter into private business re- lationships, opening them up to conf licts of interest. In the circular, police chief Michael Cassar asked all of- ficers to submit their declara- tions in writing by 10 August. But Camilleri said the circular is vague and makes no distinc- tion between interests which are in conf lict with the officers' job and "innocuous" part-time jobs. The circular ordered officers to declare "all business, trade and financial activity" with the only exception being investments in the Malta Stock Exchange and commercial banks. "Firstly, the law already prohib- its officers from activities which cause conf licts and this circular was only sent in reaction to the inquiry which exposed the corps' failings," Camilleri said. The law prohibits police offic- ers from holding jobs or inter- ests which could lead to a con- f lict with their job unless written permission is obtained from the police commissioner. However, Camilleri said all requests for the sanctioning of part-time jobs, including manual jobs, are indiscriminately turned down. Arguing that "not every activ- ity is in conf lict with our job," Camilleri said that while all in- terests should be declared, of- ficers should be allowed to hold part-time jobs which do not cre- ate conf licts. WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION WEDNESDAY • 5 August 2015 • issue 427 • published every wednesdAy And sundAy €1.00 EDITORIAL PAGE 10 Newspaper post CONTINUES ON PAGE 8 Police union has reservations about declaration of interests Police union president Sandro Camilleri demands meeting with police commissioner Michael Cassar to clarify 'vague' order to declare interests Gaffarena, former health minister mum on relationship MIRIAM DALLI MATTHEW VELLA PROPERTY entrepreneur Joe Gaffarena and former health minister Joe Cassar have chosen to remain silent over their relation- ship, when contacted by MaltaToday. The two were contacted after Gaffarena filed an affidavit saying that Cassar had called him to set up a meeting with then PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil. The meeting took place in November 2012 at the PN headquarters. Asked by MaltaToday to explain his rela- tionship with Cassar and how he ended up being called by the former minister to meet Busuttil, Gaffarena said he had no com- ments to give. "I really don't have anything to add to what I stated in the affidavit," Gaffarena said. The affidavit was first reported by l- Orizzont which is now facing a third libel filed by the PN leader over its report. Cassar himself issued a denial via the Nationalist Party's communications office denying the contents of the report. Cassar insisted that the "truth will out" in court through the libel cases instituted by Busut- til. "I said what I had to say in my statement today. I will no doubt be confirming that in court during the libel proceedings," the Na- tionalist MP told MaltaToday when asked to define his relationship with Gaffarena and whether he would be taking any legal action against him. "[…] I confirm that Joe Cassar had called me five months before the general election and asked me to go to the PN headquarters to meet Simon Busuttil and to take all my papers," Gaffarena said in the affidavit. According to Gaffarena, the papers in question were allegedly files pertaining to the Daewoo scandal. Gaffarena affidavit over Busuttil meeting sends both parties into overdrive over which party has grovelled the most to the property entrepreneurs and Qormi petrol pump owners CONTINUES ON PAGE 3 Former health minister Joe Cassar Police union president Sandro Camilleri (left) and Police Commissioner Michael Cassar