Bad cop, good cop

I was humbled when entertainment rajah Hugo Chetcuti, through his lawyer, Peter Fenech, lamented about the way Judge Michael Mallia referred
to him in an inquiry report about police inspector Zammit, the man who has shown us what the police force is.

The unprincipled (and that is being diplomatic) police officer I refer to
is Daniel Zammit, the former police inspector, son of former Acting and disgraced Commissioner Ray Zammit, and brother of Roderick, who is still a police inspector.

I found the judge’s report a slightly unfinished piece of work (but still
better than nothing) and of course Peter Fenech’s public statement and complaint in the name of his client, attempted to give the impression that Hugo Chetcuti is a person that is respectable.

Even though Hugo Chetcuti was described by Judge Mallia as a “dubious character whose copious penal record includes regular breaches of rules on his Paceville establishments”.

If ever there was a qualified statement, this was it.

Let me also say that Mr Chetcuti’s indulgence, and well noted lifestyle, are public and well known, and as such every diligent police officer – scarce as they are – should steer a mile from this man.

In fact every one, and I mean every
one, should believe that Chetcuti
made all his money from the catering and entertainment business and any surmising that he made his money from any other source, legal or illegal, is simply devious speculation.

Shame on all of you, for thinking otherwise!

So, until proven otherwise, we must state that Hugo Chetcuti is as upright as all the other entrepreneurs on this Island.

Let us for the moment argue that Hugo Chetcuti should be respected for what he is.

That, I believe, is a justified comment. I respect Hugo for what he is. Even so, I refuse to entertain myself at any of his establishments or to give him any of my earnings. Not that he needs them.

But this is not the reason that Daniel Zammit, the son of former acting police commissioner Ray Zammit, should be under the gaze of the Attorney General’s office.

The real concern is not his friendship with Chetcuti, which is questionable, though not incriminating at this point.

Much more important was his friendship with Mark Gaffarena, brother to the woman, Romina Gaffarena, who was on the crime scene when Neville Baldacchino was murdered.

Baldacchino was murdered in cold blood in the woman’s own residence, by her husband soon after she was engaged in a sexual encounter with Baldacchino. We now know that the Zammits were not only friends but, metaphorically, in bed with the Gaffarenas.

Daniel Zammit has of course recruited two good lawyers to represent him, lawyers Stefano Filletti and Stephen Tonna Lowell. They surmised in their statement that there was no stalling of the murder investigation by Zammit but they said absolutely nothing about all the other very relevant concerns.

I would not be too impressed with lawyers who, like architects and doctors, see clients as clients, not as crooks or angels.

Allow me to digress. I mean, who would ever have imagined that respected gynaecologist Mark Brincat, would enter into business with Joe Gaffarena, a real shady character, to build an old people’s home in an ODZ in Birgu. No one.

It just goes to show that money has no borders, especially when it comes to making more money.

Though the inquiry left much to
be desired, it did determine that the Zammits celebrated the birthday of Police Inspector Roderick Zammit at the opulent mansion owned by Hugo Chetcuti.

Indeed it appears to be a tradition with police, which I am sure every police inspector should mimic.

Indeed I suggest a circular be put up at the police headquarters for police officers to avail themselves of this wonderful offer. Perhaps the notice should read:

Organise your birthday party
 • At Hugo’s Madliena mansion
 • Drinks and bites provided • 
Music and entertainment too • Everything gratis, no strings attached

But apart from the birthday party, Daniel Zammit also had a company, Diabolik Entertainment, with Luke Chetcuti, the son of Hugo. The company was set up in 2010, when Zammit was an inspector.

But now to the more serious stuff.

The inquiry pointed out that Daniel Zammit stalled the murder charge against Joe Gaffarena’s son-in-law, Stephen Caruana, by demanding swabs of Romina Gaffarena to match with tissue samples lifted by police at the scene of the crime, protracting police proceedings by at least five years.

It also resulted that the scene-of-the-crime home on Drama Street, Qormi was illegally demolished and replaced with an apartment block without any court’s permission.

Another very important observation was that Daniel Zammit’s land in Bahrija was sold to him by Alfred Chircop, uncle to Mark Gaffarena’s wife. Originally the land was sold to Chircop by the Gaffarena firm Alfaclass.

This particular point was obviously ignored by the intrepid lawyers representing Zammit.

And of course Judge Mallia said that the Zammit family went in business with the Gaffarenas in 2010 and that Daniel and Roderick Zammit were both transferred back from district police postings to the Economic Crimes Unit on the same day, 10 June, 2013.

Now on this point, it has to be said that Daniel Zammit was removed
from the Crimes Unit by former police Commissioner John Rizzo, after it was ascertained that Daniel Zammit was not exactly what he expected him to be. Michael Cassar, today’s commissioner, also removed Daniel’s brother when he took up his post, and transferred him to Hamrun.

Both Commissioners should not have stopped here.

What is known to me, is that internal pressure from a very senior official at the Home Affairs Ministry in 2013 led Daniel Zammit to be reassigned with his brother to the Economic Crimes Unit.

Worst of all, Daniel Zammit was assigned supervision of the gaming sector. And this is perhaps the most worrying thing of all.

Because as we all know, Daniel Zammit is now being mentioned in relation to
the fact that a well-known mafioso’s son was registered at Zammit’s gaming firm’s address. He is Luigi Fabio Padovani, the son of ‘slot machine king’ Antonio Padovani. He was registered at the same address where a gaming consultancy firm partly owned by former police inspector Daniel Zammit, is registered.

But enough said.

As I write this opinion, the PN is organising a press conference about the subject. They should stop gloating and pontificating.

The malaise in the police force is endemic and deep-rooted and has been long-standing. The solution should be a bi-partisan approach.
The rot that the police experience today is a reflection of a complacent political class spanning decades. Of course, it may suit the political class to have it that way.

We need a new police force, with an audit unit to trim the bad crop. We need decent wages for the police officers, especially the top officials, and more importantly we need decisions that will see our police force gain the respect it badly needs from the Maltese public.

The Maltese public does not wish for inquiries only, that was the error of the PN administrations. It wants political and decisive action. Joseph Muscat cannot react to this scandal by simply issuing a two-line statement. We deserve better.

***

The traffic congestion and gridlock that hit the Islands, on Tuesday especially, is the result of a grandiose and pointless road project that cost the EU some €50 million. It is a bloody waste of public money.

The road through Bahar ic-Caghaq, conceived by former minister Austin Gatt, is a bloody baloney project that will not improve traffic but simply make us look like some spoilt brats on an Island gasping for air.

It is a friggin’ pity that no environmentalist group every raised
a whisper or a finger when it was first proposed. It has taken up more pristine land than two universities put together.

In this traffic nightmare, Joe Mizzi as transport minister should have got off his ass and made an appearance. The minister’s presence is essential but it seems no one even raised the matter with him.

Traffic bottlenecks are no joking matter, it is destroying our working day and making life in Malta a nightmare.

Mizzi had better start thinking about, and providing for, what will happen when the flyover works start in Kappara. Ommi ma!