'Boss of bosses' charged with complicity in string of major heists, aiding fugitives

A former police inspector appeared before a magistrate, charged with complicity in armed hold-ups, including the €1 million heist on the HSBC Bank branch in Balzan in 2007, and last June’s attempted hold-up on the HSBC Bank’s vault at the bank’s headquarters in Qormi.

David Gatt - who was dismissed from the police force nine years ago - pleaded not guilty to the string of charges, that also included last January’s attempted hold-up on a security van in Mriehel and last Friday’s attempted hold-up on a jeweler in Attard.

The former inspector - who recently graduated as a lawyer – appeared before Magistrate Audrey Demicoli and pleaded not guilty to the charges that were brought against him by his former colleagues.

Prosecutors Joseph Mercieca and Michael Mallia described the former Inspector as the 'Capo dei Capi' (boss of bosses) and compared him to Sicily's notorious Toto' Riina, who was captured in 1993.

Gatt was arrested on Monday morning at the law courts and was interrogated a number of times by Police Commissioner John Rizzo and Assistant Commissioner and CID Chief Superintendent Pierre Calleja.

He was rushed from the CID headquarters in Floriana to the law courts at 8.15pm in an unmarked police car that drove straight into the garage that leads to the lock-up cells beneath the courts.

David Gatt was also charged with aiding wanted criminals seek refuge, including fugitive Fabio Psaila who is wanted in connection with the same hold-ups, and of seeking medical help for known criminal Darren Debono who had been injured in the jaw by a bullet from a police weapon during the HSBC headquarters attempted heist.

He was accused of attempting to hinder a doctor from reporting the case to the police.

The former inspector had been dismissed from the police force nine years ago together with another inspector and a sergeant on the basis of claims that he and another two officers were involved in criminal activity.

Last month an appeals court ordered the reinstatement of the three officers after ruling that they were discharged unfairly. The court based its decision on the fact that the officers had not been told that there were procedures against them and therefore could not defend themselves.

Following the court verdict, the Police Commissioner and the government insisted on their decision, stressing that there had been valid grounds for the dismissal of the officers. The Commissioner asked the Public Service Commission to reconsider the case.

A court then upheld a request by David Gatt and issued a warrant of prohibitory injunction to stop the Commissioner from instituting fresh proceedings against him.

Gatt recently represented Vincent Muscat, one of the persons accused of taking part in the attempted hold-up of the HSBC depot in Qormi in which more than 60 shots were fired at the police who thwarted the robbery.

Muscat was granted bail last month together with Darren Debono – an accomplice - who was re-arrested after the bothched hold-up on jeweller Michael Mizzi in Attard last Friday night.

Debono was seriously injured in both his legs when the jeweller’s son confronted Debono and fired his own gun.

Darren Debono has reportedly suffered permanent damage to his legs and doctors fear he may never walk again.

Meanwhile, police investigations into the rest of the criminal gang that masterminded and carried out the series of armed hold-ups on banks, security vehicles and individuals carrying large amounts of cash continued yesterday.

The hunt for fugitive Fabio Psaila – said to be part of the criminal gang - continued until late last night with mobile squad and CID officers raiding a number of addresses and garages in the Qormi and Marsa areas.