Police union want resignation of Victoria Buttigieg over AG’s plea deal in HSBC heist

Police union call for resignation of Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg over HSBC heist plea deal for Daren Debono ‘it-Topo’

Victoria Buttigieg
Victoria Buttigieg

The Malta Police Union has demanded the resignation of Malta’s Attorney General over a plea bargain for one of the HSBC heist robbers that failed to name the people who commissioned the 2010 crime.

The MPU took umbrage at the plea bargain agreement entered into with bank robber Daren Debono ‘it-Topo’ in which charges relating to the attempted murder of officers were dropped in return for testimony against his co-accused, Vince Muscat ‘il-Koħħu’.

Debono pleaded guilty to involvement in an unsuccessful 2010 attempted armed robbery at the HSBC headquarters. Debono’s lawyers and the Attorney General’s Office had agreed on a 10 and a half year sentence.

The MPU accused state prosecutor Victoria Buttigieg of not having had “the decency to reply to the judicial protest filed by the MPU in January 2022” in which the MPU said it was disgusted at the deal for Debono.

Topo refusal to name accomplices in HSBC heist, a result of State’s inaction on witness protection, lawyer claims

“On the other hand, the AG office found the time to withdraw attempted murder charges which neither the justice system nor the Police Officers involved, who are the victims in this case, obtained anything,” the union said.

“The union is requesting the resignation of same Attorney General for the only reason that she failed to protect the protectors and those who try to keep our country safe.”

In their original judicial protest, the MPU expressed “worry, confusion and disgust” at the compromise reached by the AG “with a person who unabashedly fired directly at members of the force” back in January 2022.

The union had described the move as a “slap in the face” for its members and police officers in general. “Clearly the Office of the Attorney General did not take into consideration the damage that would be done to the morale of members, because the message delivered by the Attorney General through this plea deal and the dropping of the charges of attempted murder of police officers, is that he doesn’t care about the fact that officers are prepared to lay down their lives in the fight against criminality.”

Yesterday Mr. Justice Aaron Bugeja heard submissions by the prosecution and defence as Debono’s appeal against a prison sentence which he was handed for breaching a plea-bargaining agreement with the Attorney General, continued.

Debono’s lawyers had filed the appeal in February this year, after the bank robber was jailed for six months and fined €4,600 for refusing to honour the conditions of a plea deal he had reached with the Attorney General, relating to his involvement in the infamous failed armed robbery of the HSBC headquarters in 2010.