‘I always acted in the best interest of the Police’ - John Rizzo

Former police commissioner John Rizzo today told court that he always acted in the corps' best interest as he testified in a libel case by the former prime minister's personal assistant Edgar Galea Curmi against maltatoday.com.mt editor Matthew Vella.

The libel suit was filed following reports on 27 July 2011 in which an opinion article by MediaToday managing editor Saviour Balzan alleged Galea Curmi had given him confidential information on former AD chairman Harry Vassallo and the late Joe Said.

The article was published following a press conference given by then Commissioner Rizzo in the aftermath of Cyrus Engerer and his father being arrested by the police.

"Contrary to what others claim, I always acted in the best interest of the Police and I always sought to improve the force," Rizzo argued in court, when questioned if what the former prime minister's personal assistant had asked of him went against his duties as commissioner.

Rizzo insisted he could not confirm if the transcript exhibited in could was that of the press conference in question.

However when defence lawyer Tony Abela highlighted that it was Rizzo himself who had exhibited both the transcript and recording, Rizzo recalled the instance and confirmed the transcript as genuine.

Following the press conference maltatatoday.com.mt editor Matthew Vella had quoted Rizzo saying "He asked me to do something which I couldn't do..."

The former Police Commissioner admitted to receiving a phone call from Edgar Galea Curmi, then the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff, the day after he got to know about the Engerer's  arrests.

"I was aware of the arrests not because I followed all that was happening within the Force but because moments earlier Assistant Commissioner Neil Harrison had briefed me on the case. The briefing included information about complaints claiming the arrest was politically motivated", Rizzo told the court.

Rizzo said he did not know how Galea Curmi had come to know of the arrest, but understood that Cyrus Engerer was next to him while he was making the call.

Galea Curmi told the commissioner that Engerer's lawyers claimed political motivated and asked the commissioner to meet up with the lawyers to explain the investigation. But Rizzo reassured him this was not the case.

Referring to Vella's quoting of Rizzo, the defence asked if the requested clarification would have gone beyond or against his duties as Commissioner of Police. Rizzo replied it was not his duty to issue such explanations as he knew the case would eventually end in court.

"All my actions were in the best interest of the force. I am sure Galea Curmi was acting in good faith and I was doing my job.  I believed there was no need for me to explain or justify police actions to the lawyers. Such clarifications were uncalled for. What we have here is a play on the words couldn't and shouldn't."