News • 01 DECEMBER 2002

Labour MP Joe Cilia questioned by Police in alleged harassment case

By Matthew Vella

HAZ-ZEBBUG - Investigations into an alleged harassment case seem to have had been quietly signed off until a MaltaToday probe rekindled police investigations.

Harking back to February 1999, the case hovers around Labour MP Joe Cilia who was allegedly implicated in the harassment of a woman outside St Dorothy’s School, Haz-Zebbug. Notary Joe Cilia has vehemently denied the allegations.

The Labour MP’s name appears in a statement made to the police by a person claiming he had wrongly been suspected of harassing the woman.

Following a three-year lag, it seemed investigations had been mysteriously stalled, until the person originally implicated recounted the whole case to Superintendent Paul Sammut at Hal-Qormi police station, on the 11 August of this year.

Driving the Mazda DAS-654

The key factor that implicated Notary Joe Cilia in this alleged harassment was the fact that he had been allegedly driving a Mazda car licensed DAS-654.

It is alleged that a person in this car allegedly harassed a woman next to the roundabout near SMW Cortis and St Dorothy’s School in Haz-Zebbug.

In February 1999, Haz-Zebbug Police Inspector Tony Cassar proceeded to call the car’s owner for questioning at the police station. The owner of the Mazda denied the accusations, saying the car had been borrowed by Notary Joe Cilia.

Inspector Cassar was told that the car had been passed to Dr Cilia some time after the 1998 September elections.

Notary Cilia was called to the police station by the person originally suspected as the culprit, Dr Cilia arrived driving the very same Mazda, licensed DAS-654.

Upon his arrival, Dr Cilia was taken inside Inspector Cassar’s office whilst the owner of the car waited outside. After thirty minutes, Inspector Cassar emerged from his office, telling the owner of the car that he could leave.

The day after the incident, Notary Joe Cilia phoned the owner of the car, asking him to change the car, for which the owner complied, and offered him another Mazda, licensed EBO-265.

Cilia denies

Speaking to MaltaToday, Notary Cilia was adamant in denying the allegations. When asked whether he had been in the Mazda DAS-654 at the time of the alleged incident Notary Cilia rebutted all allegations.

He also denied having harassed any woman.

He initially said that he had never been called to the Haz-Zebbug police station. However, on clarification of the question he stated that he had been called by a client to help out.

He also confirmed that he often had various cars lent out to him by this particular client.