Anthony Debono trial: police officers testify on Gozoworks investigation

The defence counsel for civil servant Anthony Debono, husband of former Gozo minister Giovanna Debono, has asked a court to relieve his client of an asset freeze which he said was “crippling” Debono.

Debono is facing 13 charges, amongst them misappropriation of public funds, in his alleged role in devising a works-for-votes system to carry out private works for constituents while he ran the Construction Maintenance Unit inside the Gozo ministry.

The main accuser, Joseph Cauchi, has been granted protection under the Whistleblower Act to explain how Debono would ask him to carry out works and then issue false invoices to the CMU.

Magistrate Neville Camilleri said the asset freeze on Debono would stay in place until further witnesses will be heard.

Debono is under a bill of indictment for the charges related to some €50,000 in works carried out in some 23 different locations between 2004 and the 2013 election.

12:14 Court adjourned for 26 August. Matthew Vella

12:09 The prosecution requests the appointment of court experts to transcribe audiovisual interrogation of Anthony Debono. Matthew Vella

11:54 Magistrate Neville Camilleri says he will take a decision on the asset freeze once other witnesses are heard in court. Matthew Vella

11:53 “An asset freeze cripples the person whose assets are frozen. We would like direction from the court as to when a decision on the prosecution’s request will be taken.” Matthew Vella

11:52 Defence lawyer Joe Giglio asks the court to reconsider the asset freeze on Debono that had only been temporarily acceded to by the court. Giglio says an asset freeze based on proceeds from crime, or on any other property that is unrelated to the crime, is useless because none of the evidence presented by the prosecution shows that Debono profited from the works carried out. “We don’t feel that this asset freeze should stay in place – this interim order is in still in force… I hope that the prosecution is not demanding that the asset freeze stays in place because someone is stating that they have not yet been paid for the works they carried out. God forbid that Article 23 on the freezing of assets is used to protect the interests of Joe Cauchi, who is the author of these crimes… for Debono here is an accomplice. I hope the court can address this point.” Matthew Vella

11:46 Inspector Ian Abdilla says the prosecution's presentation of evidence is over. Matthew Vella

11:39 Farrugia recounts the collection of evidence as it took place on 9 March, when ECU police secured Gozo ministry offices and other departmental offices. Matthew Vella

11:38 PC 2088 Patrick Farrugia takes the witness stand. Matthew Vella

11:38 Giglio asks Zammit whether Joseph Cauchi was ever placed under arrest or interrogated. Zammit says he was not involved in anything else beyond his role in the investigation throughout April. Matthew Vella

11:37 Counter-examination by Joe Giglio. PC Zammit says that Debono had been under arrest for almost 48 hours before his interrogation, where he exercised his right to stay silent. Zammit confirms that Debono told police that he was “being politically instrumentalised” and exercised his right to stay silent. Matthew Vella

11:32 Zammit describes his role in the police investigation throughout the month of April, and identifies various items of evidence being presented in court. Matthew Vella

11:29 PC Robert Zammit takes the witness stand. Matthew Vella

11:28 Counter-examination by Joe Giglio, who asks Sgt Friggieri whether they knew of the places Cauchi was showing them. Friggieri says he was not aware of the places, and that Cauchi would stop at each place, indicating the works that were carried out. No cash values were mentioned. Matthew Vella

11:27 Sgt Shaun Friggieri takes the witness stand, says that police followed Cauchi around Gozo, as he indicated the places on which he carried out works on Debono’s instructions. Cauchi then gave the police files related to the works he had done. Matthew Vella

11:20 Mifsud: “2 April – the day when I started working on this case.” Matthew Vella

11:20 Mifsud is asked when she remembers having heard that Cauchi could avail himself of protection under the Whistleblowers’ Act. Matthew Vella

11:19 Mifsud confirms that Cauchi complained to police that he had not been paid for works carried out on Debono’s request. Matthew Vella

11:18 Giglio now is reading out an entire list of ministry officials and employees, asking Mifsud specifically, and for each of them, whether she met any of them and whether they made similar allegations against Debono. She replies that none of them made any such allegations, leading Giglio to state that it is now elementary that Cauchi is the source of the allegations. Matthew Vella

11:16 Counter-examination by Joe Giglio. Mifsud says she cannot confirm who was the source of the allegations against Debono, and that she was only instructed to head to Gozo to secure the relevant offices. She also confirms that she only met Joseph Cauchi [who has been granted protection under the Whistleblower’s Act] when it came to identify documents or other locations related to works commissioned at the behest of Anthony Debono. Matthew Vella

11:03 George Pace, a CMU clerk, passed on to police all commitment sheets related to the remittance notes supplied by Cauchi. Matthew Vella

11:03 Mifsud said that during his interrogation, Debono refused legal advice. Matthew Vella

11:02 Mifsud then located the payment vouchers related to the 25 remittance advices supplied by Cauchi, at the CMU offices. The documents were collected as evidence. Matthew Vella

11:02 On 8 April, Mifsud met Joseph Cauchi, a contractor, to identify the places where allegedly private works were commissioned on Anthony Debono’s instruction. They collected a file containing 25 remittance advices, and booklets by Cauchi and handwritten notes by Debono explaining to him how to issue invoicing [to the CMU]. Matthew Vella

10:58 Mifsud confirms the events of police business as relayed earlier by the three other witnesses. Matthew Vella

10:57 WPS 103 Marcelle Mifsud takes the witness stand. Matthew Vella

10:57 Counter-examination by defence lawyer Joe Giglio. The police constable says he was not aware of who was making the allegations against Debono, and cannot confirm whether a third party was making the allegations at the time that he was summoned to Gozo. Matthew Vella

10:55 Zammit: “I accompanied Vassallo and Farrugia and WPS 103 Marcelle Mifsud, on 8 March, to secure Gozo ministry offices over allegations made against Anthony Debono. We closed off the ministry offices, the CMU and Works Department offices. I also accompanied Vassallo to meet Assunta Debono, to collect receipt books releated to the allegations in question.” Matthew Vella

10:53 PC 1305 Silvio Zammit takes the witness stand. Matthew Vella

10:52 Farrugia: “I was ordered to secure the Gozo ministry’s offices, after meeting permanent secretary John Borg. Also present was Joe Portelli, head of projects and development; as well as the assistant director for corporate services. We were shown the offices, securing various offices. We then went to the CMU offices in Xewkija, to secure the entire building; as well as the Works Department’s stores in Rabat.” Matthew Vella

10:49 Inspector Yvonne Farrugia to take the witness stand. Matthew Vella

10:47 Vassallo: “I was ordered to come to Gozo in March, to meet the ministry’s permanent secretary, so that we can secure files at the Gozo ministry, the CMU offices [Kajselli], and another location in Rabat. We made an inventory of these files, which were related to the CMU operations, over allegations made on irregular purchasing. In April, I spoke to Assunta Debono, to collect delivery and receipt books related to works carried out by the CMU in a quarry.” Matthew Vella

10:44 Vassallo is part of the Economic Crimes Unit. Matthew Vella

10:44 Superintendent Paul Vassallo to testify. Matthew Vella

10:33 Court is about to begin. Matthew Vella

The trial of Anthony Debono, husband of former Gozo minister Giovanna Debono, starts in Gozo today.

Debono faces 13 charges that include misuse of public funds for commissioning private works for constituents, using the resources of the Construction Maintenance Unit he headed.

The accusations were filed after a whistleblower, Joe Cauchi, came forward with a list of works he carried out at Debono’s behest. But following Labour’s election in 2013, Cauchi was left out of pocket by some €50,000 for works Debono could not pay him for; in the course of events that followed, Debono was said to have paid Cauchi some €20,000 in cash after repeated demands from the whistleblower to be paid.

The story was first broken on MaltaToday. In court, Cauchi said during the compilation of evidence that he would issue false invoices so that he could be paid by the ministry, on instructions of Debono.