The askholes

You will excuse me if I fail to comment on the micro-details of Jason Azzopardi's press conference. Dr Azzopardi always organises his press conferences at 4.30pm on a Saturday, when the newsroom and design studio resemble minefields.

I love Dr Azzopardi. I recall his mumblings and groaning when he was not appointed by Dr Fenech Adami to his cabinet. What an angry and frustrated man he was then!

Azzopardi relishes these last minute conferences, but I think I am safe in saying that Azzopardi will not embrace the Depasquale Police Board report on Elton Taliana.

The same inspector was embraced by the Queen of Bile herself. Yes, that one, the chosen one in promoting any agenda that is fomented at PN HQ.

In a recent breakfast meeting with the four big heads from the PN, I made it very clear that their association with the vile and malicious blogger did them no good.

They do not seem to have learnt their lesson.

Because no matter how much they repeat the fact that they have nothing to do with Taliana - the disgraced policeman - it remains abundantly clear that they have more than a soft spot for the former security officer.

I'll stop there because Joe Zammit Maempel, Taliana (and the PN's) lawyer, may get into some of his libel frenzies once again.

But it is important to point out the inconsistencies of Jason Azzopardi. When in the past inquiries were held under a PN administration, Azzopardi then never once questioned their genuineness. Agreed.

Times change, and of course being in government and not opposition alters things dramatically.

Just in the same way that silly appointments were made under the PN, Muscat, as our editorial clearly states, is repeating the same mistakes of his predecessors and appointing unsuitable candidates to posts.

So if I can digress a little bit, the decision by Muscat to appoint Aaron Farrugia to CEO of Freeport is not only stupid but bloody irresponsible.

Worse is Clifton Grima's appointment to the sensitive post of CEO at Mount Carmel, a lawyer heading a medical hospital which deals with complex mental disorders.

Clifton Grima and Aaron Farrugia, the former having been a mayor of Msida, are too young, inexperienced and more significantly unsuited for these jobs.

Muscat has been warned that his Malta tagħna lkoll was a dangerous slogan. It raised expectations, just in the same way Austin Gatt raised expectations when he reformed the public transport system and f**ked it up big time.

In most cases, politicians are perfect askholes: they listen to your advice but do nothing about it.

But back to Elton Taliana.

The other week, I protested PN leader Simon Busuttil's defending Elton Taliana, I told him that he should be ashamed of not seeing who the real Elton Taliana was or is.

Busuttil told me to focus on the criminal, Zambi, and his involvement in a meeting that took place between Silvio Scerri and Daryl Luke Borg.

I was polite, because I could have reminded him of who had met Zeppi l-Hafi under a bridge in San Gwann, but what the heck.

I did reply that I had no reason to defend Silvio Scerri; indeed when Simon Busuttil was a little-known Radio 101 host, Silvio Scerri was one of Ugo Mifsud Bonnici's militant canvassers. And when I was very critical of Lou Bondi, the Queen of Bile's former companion and ardent ass-licker, I was trounced on the social networks by the one and only Silvio Scerri, because at the time Scerri was Bondi's business partner and buddy.

Time passes, people change, but what is black remains black and what is white is always white.

If Elton Taliana was a black sheep then, he is still one today. That no one realised this is indeed surprising.

And it surprises me that in spite of all the allegations and reports in the files, nothing of consequence happened when John Rizzo was commissioner and Tonio Borg was home affairs minister (and later on Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici).

I know for a fact that Elton Taliana's promotions from constable to inspector took place when he served as Tonio Borg security officer.

I know that he was promoted in spite of the 'doubts' about his character and the very serious allegations about him related to drugs, arms and arson.

What is worse is that during the investigations into the arson attack on my home, the police had evidence which they did not follow or did not properly investigate. And though Taliana is mentioned in relation to the arson attack, he was never called in by the commissioner of police.

Which beckons me to send off a letter to the present commissioner. There is really nothing of news value in it, other than the fact that it is based on what I have in my hands: it is clear that the motivation for the arson attack was not in my writing on migrants.

According to the report, which I have seen in part, Commissioner of Police John Rizzo wrote the following:

"Informer was once again spoken to on 26/6/11 at 10am at HQ. Informer confirmed that (1) he was involved with a certain ****** residing near the Toyota showroom in Zebbug, with the throwing of the paint on the door of Mr Salvu Balzan, editor of MaltaToday.  **** who is a skinhead and covered with tattoos is a fervent PN supporter and had a kiosk... Photo enclosed as red (18) proved negative. Person indicated at red (18) has all the characteristics indicated by informer. According to informer, Inspector Taliana is a very bad character and indulges in all sorts of criminal activities..."

I can only say that I cannot understand why no action was ever taken.

1 September 2013

Mr Peter Paul Zammit, Commissioner of Police:

Over the past weeks, I have seen the contents of reports that confirm my worst fears: that the police had invaluable information and material about the perpetrators linked to the arson attack that took place at my former residence in Naxxar in May 2007.

I have no idea what has kept the police from continuing with their investigations and pursuing many of the leads that they had for identifying the arsonists - which took place in front of the police station in Naxxar.

It is also clear to me that the perception that the attack was linked to the issue of migrants, which reverberated in the press at the time, is wrong. Neither was the arson attack linked in any way to the arson attack that took place some weeks later in Bidnija.

I believe that the motivation was purely political and fuelled by my writing on political matters and my criticism of the government of the day.

Furthermore, I would like to know why the police investigated but never interrogated Inspector Taliana on the matter.

And lastly, whether his position then as security officer to the then-home affairs minister had any bearing on this decision.

Thanking you in anticipation.

Saviour Balzan

Editor, MaltaToday

San Gwann