Ex MP claims police top brass maliciously blaming underling for failure to arrest Iosif Galea

Jason Azzopardi claims police inspector is being made to carry the can despite flagging Iosif Galea's travel plans 10 days before

Former MP Jason Azzopardi
Former MP Jason Azzopardi

Lawyer Jason Azzopardi has claimed that Malta’s two highest-ranking police officers are “protecting” Iosif Galea and punishing a police inspector to cover up their shortcomings.

In a series of explosive Facebook posts, the former Nationalist MP has claimed that the inspector had advised the force’s SIRENE bureau that Galea was the subject of a European Arrest Warrant, a full 10 days before Galea left Malta.

Galea, a former Gaming Authority official turned consultant, was wanted by the German police, who were investigating him for tax evasion.

However, despite the EAW the Maltese police did not arrest Galea and allowed him to travel to Italy in mid-May for a holiday with a group that included former prime minister Joseph Muscat. The Italian police arrested Galea upon his arrival on the strength of the German EAW.

Jason Azzopardi's Facebook post alleging a frame up against a police inspector for the force's failure to arrest Iosif Galea
Jason Azzopardi's Facebook post alleging a frame up against a police inspector for the force's failure to arrest Iosif Galea

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Azzopardi alleges that Galea is in possession of incriminating information about Muscat and his acolytes, “including ministers, ex-ministers and ex-chiefs of secretariats.”

The firebrand former MP accused Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa and Deputy Commissioner Alexandra Mamo of blaming the omission to arrest Galea on an inspector. He claims that the inspector has been referred to the Public Service Commission, ostensibly for dereliction of duty, in order to “cover up [their] collusion with Castille and with Joseph Muscat, so Iosif Galea can evade justice.”

Jason Azzopardi's second Facebook post claiming the deputy police commissioner had given a verbal order not to include Galea's details in the police database
Jason Azzopardi's second Facebook post claiming the deputy police commissioner had given a verbal order not to include Galea's details in the police database

In a subsequent post, Azzopardi also directed a question at Deputy Commissioner Alexandra Mamo, asking whether she had given a verbal order to the inspector in question, not to input anything related to the alert in the police incident reporting system (PIRS). 

“Is it because you knew that he was not supposed to be allowed to travel but should have been arrested a year ago?”

Attempts to contact the Deputy Commissioner for comment were unsuccessful.

Questions have since been sent by email to the Police Commissioner.

Opposition spokesperson Joe Giglio has said that Galea was being interrogated by the Maltese police in relation to financial crimes and was out on police bail when he travelled to Italy.

Since the revelations first surfaced in a Times of Malta report, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri has said the failure to arrest Galea is subject to an internal police investigation. It later transpired the investigation is being conducted by the police board, headed by retired judge Franco Depasquale.

Galea’s name cropped up in a court case that started yesterday against former gaming authority official Jason Farrugia and his wife. Police testimony showed how Galea passed on thousands of euros to Farrugia’s Revolut account and other domestic bank accounts.

Farrugia is charged with money laundering, extortion, trading in influence, fraud, misappropriation, disclosing confidential information and computer misuse.