PN wants prison voting to be held again after ‘tens’ of inmates voted illegally

The Nationalist Party wants the voting process in prison for the general election to be cancelled and repeated again after ineligible prisoners were allowed to vote.

In a letter to the Electoral Commission on Monday, PN secretary-general Michael Piccinino said the voting process at the Corradino Correctional Facility was “vitiated” by “serious shortcomings”.

Piccinino said that the Electoral Commission’s list of 180 prisoners who were eligible to vote on Saturday, included “tens” of inmates who were legally disqualified from voting.

He accused the commission of failing to take action to stop these people from voting despite the PN having flagged at least one ineligible name four days before the voting took place. Piccinino said the PN had also indicated that there could be other ineligible names.

Inmates at the CCF voted on Saturday as part of the early voting process.

However, it transpired that at least one inmate, Daren Debono, known as it-Topo, was allowed to vote despite having an interdiction and serving a 10-and-a-half-year prison term.

The law says that prisoners who have been condemned to a jail term of more than 12 months lose their right to vote. Other legal provisions such as a court-imposed interdiction can also deny a person the right to vote.

Piccinino noted that every month the Court Registrar is obliged to inform the Electoral Commission of those persons who are condemned to more than 12 months in prison.

"It is clear that there are serious shortcomings on the part of the Electoral Commission and the Court Registrar that were prejudicial to the electoral process that took place at the CCF on Saturday 19 March and which led to it being vitiated," Piccinino wrote.

The PN said the voting process that took place on Saturday at the CCF should be annulled and repeated after the Electoral Commission adjourns its list of eligible voters by excluding those barred from voting.

Piccinino said the commission should treat the PN’s request with urgency and the party reserved the right to refer the matter to the constitutional court.

Earlier, PN leader Bernard Grech said the party reserved the right to take any action to ensure the electoral process was free and fair.