Joe Giglio claims Iosif Galea allowed to travel out of Malta whilst on police bail

Nationalist MP Joe Giglio says the fact that the European Arrest Warrant against Galea was not executed in Malta shows that the country's security is jeopardised

PN MP Joe Giglio says an independent investigation is need to establish all the facts surrounding Iosif Galea's arrest
PN MP Joe Giglio says an independent investigation is need to establish all the facts surrounding Iosif Galea's arrest

The Maltese authorities allowed Iosif Galea to travel out of the country while he was on police bail, having been interrogated over suspected involvement in financial crime, the Nationalist Party said.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Opposition home affairs spokesperson Joe Giglio said the failure of local authorities to act on the European Arrest Warrant issued by the German police against Galea, meant the the country's security was under threat.

Maltese gaming consultant Iosif Galea was arrested in Italy on the night between the 14 and 15 May on the strength of a European Arrest Warrant issued by Germany. Galea had travelled to Italy for a holiday from Malta with a group of friends that included former prime minister Joseph Muscat and his wife Michelle.

“Despite the arrest warrant, our country never carried out its duty and executed the arrest warrant. He travelled from Malta three times, however he was never arrested,” Giglio said. 

“This means that the Home Affairs Minister and the Police Commissioner failed miserably in their duties. This puts Malta’s security in jeopardy, as this means that potentially there are arrest warrants which local authorities are not aware of,” Giglio said. 

He also said that the Maltese police corps committed a “second failure” when allowing Galea to travel out of Malta, whilst on police bail. According to Giglio, Galea was being investigated for financial crimes and had been granted police bail.

“One of the conditions of police bail is that the person should not go abroad, unless a permission is granted by the police. This means that Galea left the country with the blessing and approval of the police commissioner,” Giglio said. 

He said the situation was “worrying”, adding it did not make sense for the Police Commissioner to investigate himself.

"If there were shortcomings from top officials within the corps, the responsibility should fall in the hands of the Prime Minister," Giglio said, calling for an independent investigation.

In parliament on Monday, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri stated that an internal investigation was being carried out by police in order to determine why Galea was not arrested in Malta.

“The police corps and its reputation took another hit. We are in a situation where the work of the Maltese police was carried out by Italian authorities,” Giglio said.