Nikki Dimech | Police did not investigate allegations of football corruption

The former mayor of Sliema had given police inspector Angelo Gafà two names alleged to be involved in the corruption of football players, but no police investigation was ever carried out.

Prosecuting officer Angelo Gafà said that Nikki Dimech gave him information related to corruption of football players, but that the allegations were “unsubstantiated”.

Magistrate Claire Stafrace ordered the press out of the courtroom so that Gafà could tell the court the names that Dimech – a former vice-president of Sliema Wanderers F.C. – had told him about.

According to Gafà, he met Dimech outside his office in another establishment and also called Assistant Commissioner Michael Cassar so that Dimech can personally report to him his allegations.

During his counter-examination, Gafà was repeatedly asked by defence counsel Stephen Tonna Lowell how many times he had brought in Dimech for questioning over accusations levelled against the former mayor by a council contractor.

The former contracts manager at the Sliema local council, Stephen Buhagiar, 43 of Swieqi, claims Dimech solicited him for bribes of 5-10% on the value of his contract.

Gafà denied having threatened Dimech during his interrogation that his “political career was over” and that he would make “a show of him with the press”.

The police inspector also said he was not obliged at law to inform Dimech’s lawyer of what he was being suspected of, during his interrogation back in August 2010.

Throughout the counter-examination, Gafà was asked why he asked the court to open with urgency on the evening of Monday, 30 August 2010 to level charges of contempt against Dimech.

Gafà issued charges of corruption of a public officer against Dimech using a police citation, but later demanded his urgent arraignment after Dimech released an interview to MaltaToday in which he claimed having admitted to bribery ‘under duress’ during his interrogation.

The police inspector denied that the arraignment was related to Dimech’s comments to the press after being released from arrest, but due to the allegations levelled against him personally.

The defence asked Gafà why Dimech was release from his arrest after 24 hours on Saturday with a citation for the corruption charges, but was then arraigned at 8:30pm the Monday after in the court of Magistrate Joseph Apap Bologna where Gafà described him as a “threat to society” over charges of contempt.

“I don’t need to give a reason… it is discretionary. I exercised this faculty granted to me under the law,” the police inspector told the court.

When asked to substantiate why he called Dimech a public threat, Gafà insisted that public officers who abuse the powers of their office were a threat to society.

Gafà also denied suggestions that he was harassing Dimech for having interrogated him several times before. “I have always been delegated these interrogations. They were not my initiative. I had instructions to question him.”

Stephen Buhagiar, the former contracts manager for Sliema council, was questioned by defence lawyer Stefan Giglio as to why he had waited a full six months before reporting the bribery allegations.

Buhagiar lost his job before the expiry of his six-month probation, and later reported that Dimech had asked him for bribes to the PN secretary-general Paul Borg Olivier, the parliamentary secretary for local councils Chris Said, and then director for local government Martin Bugelli.

Buhagiar, a former driver of Nationalist MP Robert Arrigo, was unemployed at the time he was tendering for the public contract to be contracts manager for the council.

“At this time, when Dimech allegedly asked you for a 5-10 per cent commission, didn’t you feel the process was tainted and that you had to report this allegation?” Giglio asked.

Buhagiar told the court that this was the first he had heard of such commissions and that he taken the request lightly. “I didn’t give it any weight.”

He said that the six-month probationary clause had been inserted in the contract at the request of councillors Yves Calì and Martin Debono. “This was because they wanted to eventually give the contract to Philip Chircop, another contracts manager who was their friend.”

Buhagiar’s contract was terminated by eight votes to one in the council and later passed on to the tender’s run-up Philip Chircop. Later he alleged to Borg Olivier, Said and Bugelli that his contract was terminated because he refused to pay bribes to Nikki Dimech.

Buhagiar also admitted that he told councillors Debono and Cali they would regret their decision, in an altercation he had with them after his contract was terminated.

Buhagiar is currently facing charges of assaulting a public official and resisting a public officer, after being involved in argument with Debono over the lack of permits for the drilling of holes for festa poles.