Jonathan Ferris awarded €20,000 in compensation

Former police inspector and Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit Jonathan Ferris has been awarded €20,000 in compensation for being on the end of discriminatory treatment by former commissioner of police Lawrence Cutajar.

Back in 2019, Ferris filed Constitutional proceedings against the Commissioner of Police claiming that the resistance to his reinstatement in the police force breached his human rights.

Jonathan Ferris, a former police inspector specialising in prosecuting fraud cases, had been fired from a new post at the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit in June 2017, shortly after starting in the role. Ferris insists that the termination of his employment was illegal and abusive, the result of ministerial interference.

He had claimed his rights were breached further when he was not granted a secondment from the police force to the FIAU. 26 other police officers had been seconded from the police force to the FIAU.

In 2016, Ferris therefore had to leave the corps when joining the FIAU. Ferris argued that this decision meant he had lost his right to a service pension.

Delivering a judgment on Thursday, by the First Hall, Civil Court in its constitutional jurisdiction, Mr Justice Toni Abela awarded Ferris €20,000 in compensation.

Lawyers Andrew Borg Cardona, Therese Comodini Cachia, Jason Azzopardi and Evelyn Borg Costanzi were defence lawyers.