[WATCH] Dalli will stay on as Libya special envoy, Abela insists, despite damning prison report

Prime Minister Robert Abela insisted Alex Dalli will retain his role as special envoy to Libya, despite a damning Ombudsman report on his administration tactics when charged with leading the facility.

“Let me be clear – Alex Dalli won’t be removed,” Abela said, defending Dalli’s tenure as prison director. “He inherited a facility which was in total anarchy, and he fixed it.”

Questioned by journalists following a press conference on Thursday morning, Abela also hit out at the Ombudsman, saying it is easy to “sit behind a desk, censure in comfort and write reports.”

He said no one can understand the situation prison was in before Dalli, “before putting yourself in that situation.”

The PM stated prison used to see inmate riots and a large prevalence of drugs. He also defended Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri who had taken decisions when “certain episodes” arose. 

Dalli had suspended himself after the 14th inmate death inside the facility under his watch. The foreign inmate was found dead in the prison’s Division 4.

He was a 35-year-old Indian male, who was suspected of having committed suicide. He was found dead during the prison guard handover that morning.

An Ombudsman report published last week, revealed racism, intimidation and degrading treatment was rife during Dalli’s tenure. The report found evidence of blatant racism toward non-Maltese prisoners, including a specific incident where a group of irregular immigrants were forced to kneel and were intimidated by police dogs. One witness said that the inmates, who had just arrived at CCF were later stripped and hosed down with a pipe.

Alex Dalli is now handling migration control efforts as part of a joint Malta-Libya centre, with an annual wage of €103,000. 

Questioned how Dalli’s job in Libya is tenable, the Prime Minister said Malta has registered record-low migrant arrivals, and this was thanks to Dalli and others’ work.

“He is making a crucial contribution to the country and is performing miracles towards controlling irregular immigration,” Abela said. “Look at Italy and across Europe. There is a scourge of irregular immigration, and people are rebelling because of it.”

Abela said Malta is “winning” the fight against irregular migration, and Dalli plays an important role in that regard.