Mallia ‘to demand resignations’ if inquiry uncovers attempts of cover-up by ministry officials

Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia said he was “terribly sorry” for Wednesday’s incident which saw his driver, a police officer, fire two shots at a car following a hit-and-run accident.

Mallia attempted to make his statement during parliamentary question time, prompting heated interruptions by the Nationalist Opposition who argued that the minister should instead deliver a ministerial statement over what had happened.

All hell however broke loose, to an extent that deputy speaker Censu Galea threatened to suspend the parliamentary sitting.

Mallia was asked a supplementary question on the age of reinstated police officers, by government spokesperson Carmelo Abela, on the incident involving his chauffer.

Mallia declared he was “terribly sorry” for the incident, not least because Paul Sheehan had also breached his own trust. Interjecting, deputy leader Mario de Marco accused Mallia of avoiding questions on the matter by using up question time to talk on the matter. De Marco argued that the minister should make a ministerial statement on the matter, allowing the opposition to make all necessary questions.

However, Galea allowed the minister to go ahead. “I had no indication that any of the two security guards would make use of a weapon,” Mallia said, adding that he even trusted his daughter with the two chauffeurs.

He went on to say that former home affairs minister, including former PN deputy prime minister Guido de Marco, enjoyed the same level of protection.

This led de Marco to raise a point of order: “Mallia should have learned from the late minister Guido de Marco that a minister should not cover up a criminal act.”

But Mallia retorted that president emeritus Eddie Fenech Adami and former ambassador to the EU Richard Cachia Caruana had armed guards as did Malta Independent columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia for a short period of time.

“I reassure that at no moment did I cover up or asked somebody to cover up for somebody else. If anyone is found guilty of this in my ministry I will ask for their immediate resignation. If anyone believes that we’re turning the clock back to the eighties, I must remind them that I was on the other side (Nationalist Party) defending victims of violence,” Mallia said.

“I understand the opposition wants my head on a plate but I can reassure everyone that I had absolutely nothing to do with this incident and I did not cover anything up.”