Mario Portelli’s parents say police acted correctly when dealing with their son

In a media statement, former police officer Mario Portelli’s parents appealed for sensitivity in media reports on the case

Mario Portelli's parents have praised the
Mario Portelli's parents have praised the "professional" conduct of the police in dealing with their son last week

The parents of former police officer Mario Portelli have said that the police acted professionally and according to the law in dealing with their son.

In a statement released to the media by their lawyer, Joseph Mifsud, Portelli’s parents said that while they “deplored the insensitivity shown in the media by certain persons, including politicians”, in the case concerning their son, they wanted to declare that all that took place happened according to medical advice.

“All that the parents and the police did was carried out according to the law, and followed best professional practice in the circumstances of the case,” the statement said.

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While they thanked the police and the medical professionals involved for their assistance, Portelli’s parents went on to appeal for the showing of a greater degree of sensitivity in related cases in the future, “especially by those who have greater duties than others towards society”.

Last Friday, Portelli had been arrested while livestreaming a video on Facebook in which he claimed that the police had gone to his house following a complaint by his elderly father.

In an earlier video, he had repeated allegations which he had made previously on social media that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had lied under oath about not being the owner of the Egrant Panama company.  He had also in the past weeks promised a showdown with Muscat.