PN calls for home affairs minister’s resignation over appalling prison situation

Beppe Fenech Adami has accused the home affairs minister of condoning the situation in prison and called for political responsibility to be shouldered.

The Nationalist Party spokesperson said Byron Camilleri’s position was “untenable” in the wake of a second attempted suicide by a prison inmate in the span of three months.

“Byron Camilleri chooses to defend what is wrong and if he is not capable, or has no moral authority to remove the prison director, who has manifestly taken the correctional facility down a dangerous road, then the minister’s position is no longer tenable,” Fenech Adami said.

He also laid responsibility on the Prime Minister for refusing to see the gravity of the situation in prison and his minister’s inability to address it.

“We have government ministers acting as if anything goes rather than understand the gravity of the situation. They ridicule us when we point it out and continue to defend what is manifestly wrong,” Fenech Adami said.

A 30-year-old inmate is being treated in hospital after attempting suicide on Sunday afternoon. The case follows that of a 29-year-old woman who died in hospital last month after attempting suicide in prison three weeks earlier.

READ ALSO: Another suicide attempt in prison forces ministry to hold inquiry

Camilleri set up an inquiry board on Monday morning, tasked with investigating the procedures and policies adopted by the prison administration in dealing with the mental and physical health of inmates.

However, doubts have been cast on the inquiry board’s impartiality given that one of the members was until yesterday a member of the Corradino Correctional Facility governing board. In addition, the other two members also have links to the prison.

Impartiality of inquiry board questioned

Fenech Adami said the choice of board members defied logic. “You cannot have a person who was involved in the prison governance board resign just before being tasked with investigating governance,” he said with reference to the appointment of academic Janice Formosa Pace.

The board is led by psychiatrist Anton Grech and also includes doctor George Grech as a member. Both have or had ties to the prison.

Fenech Adami added that if any of the other individuals have a conflict of interest, they should withdraw from the board.

“Without entering into the merits of their competence, if any of the board members have some form of conflict of interest, it is up to them to declare it since it is not in the interest of the common good and truth to have a sham inquiry that does not do its utmost to unearth the truth,” Fenech Adami said.

He reiterated the PN’s call for the prison director Alex Dalli, a retired army colonel, to be removed.

Dalli’s tough disciplinarian approach has been blamed for the 12 prison deaths since 2018 when he was appointed director. His draconian methods have come under fire for creating an atmosphere of fear not conducive to rehabilitation.

Fenech Adami insisted that the PN wants to have a prison that enables inmates to rehabilitate.

“We cannot have young people entering prison and instead of finding help, leave the prison dead,” he said.

The PN press conference was also addressed by candidates Darren Carabott and Graziella Galea.