Updated | Minister orders investigation into officers who strip searched women on dubious grounds

Magistrate Tonio Micallef Trigona has today blasted two police officers, claiming that they are “dishonouring the police and are not fit to wear the police’s uniform” after arresting and strip searching two women for brushing a police officer’s face with a flag.

The case occurred on 18 June 2014, when the accused, Swedish nationals Mina Tehrani and Andea Maturana, accidentally brushed a policeman’s face with a flag “bereft of a stick” while celebrating Chile’s world cup victory against Spain.

The women are of Swedish nationality, and have Chilean ancestry. 

Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia has ordered an internal investigation by the Police Corps to establish the facts and, if necessary, take disciplinary steps against the officers.

In his testimony, Sergeant Mario Rotin claimed that the flag brushed his face, “forcing him to bend his head backwards.” He also claimed that after being hit, he took the flag away from the accused, who in turn allegedly touched his cap and said, “Why you act so stupid asshole?”

At this moment, Sergeant Rotin testified, he arrested Tehrani. He was then hit by the other woman, identified in court as Andrea Maturana, who in turn was arrested by the accompanying female officer, Chantelle Costa.

The two women were then arrested, strip searched and had their passports confiscated.

They were arraigned in court for having “vilified, threatened and caused bodily harm against public officers, as well as for having assaulted or resisted same public officers.”

The charges and the police’s “maltreatment” of the accused did not go down well with Magistrate Micallef Trigona, who called the police commissioner and the home affiars ministry to take disciplinary action against two police officers.

“They do not warrant their police uniform. This is a travesty. They are dishonouring their uniform,” the Magistrate held.

In its decree the Court argued that there were “material inconsistencies in the testimonies of the police officers,” and consequently acquitted the two women of all charges. The women were also handed back their passports.

Inspector Trevor Micallef prosecuted.

Lawyers Gianella de Marco and Gianluca Caruana Curran represented the accused.