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Magistrate summons police officers to explain alleged pressure to stop investigation
Two senior police officers summoned before magistrate to explain alleged pressure on subordinate to stop investigating civil servant.
23 January 2013, 12:00am
Karl Stagno-Navarra
Karl Stagno-Navarra
2 min read
Two senior police officers will have to explain why they ordered their subordinate to stop investigating a public officer.
Assistant Commissioner Raymond Zammit and Superintendent Antonello Grech will have to appear before the court Magistrate Consuelo Herrera, to explain why they allegedly pressured Inspector Jonathan Ransley, their subordinate, to stop investigating the chairman of the Industrial Tribunal, George Borg Cardona.
Borg Cardona - who also presides over the Police Licences Appeals Board - was called in for questioning by Inspector Ransley, on the strength of a decree issued by Magistrate Herrera, who ordered an investigation to be conducted against him over the alleged falsification of receipts.
The investigation was triggered after a medical consultant confirmed under oath that receipts presented by Borg Cardona for medical services to his grandson were forged.
The receipts were presented by lawyer Aron Mifsud Bonnici, who when hearing the medicial consultant confirm that the documents handed to him by his own client had been forged, immediately renounced defending his client.
The investigation however was stalled, as Inspector Ransley reported back to Magistrate Herrera saying that he received "orders from above" to stop all investigations regarding Borg Cardona.
An infuriated Magistrate Herrera ordered that Ransley mentions the names of his superiors who ordered he stops investigating Borg Cardona, in what she said was "in clear defiance of a court decree."
The inspector named Grech and Assistant Commissioner Raymond Zammit, whom Magistrate Herrera has now summoned by Court order to appear before her during the next sitting of Borg Cardona's civil case.
In another twist, Borg Cardona's daughter Juanita was this morning charged with defrauding her former husband out of €50,000 by forging his signature. More than 500 forged cheques were allegedly issued by Juanita Fenech and presented in court as evidence against her.
Taking the witness stand, Mario Fenech told Magistrate Edwina Grima that he had to endure 17 days in prison over a false allegation filed by his wife, who destroyed him physically and psychologically over the years, and added that his wife had already been convicted for fraud while she worked for Air Malta, and was later employed as a clerk at the Law Courts, despite her criminal record.
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What you know has absolutely nothing to do with who you know. I believe this has been stated many many times before. And I am sure many Maltese believe it completely. Is it perhaps that with Malta being so small than it would have happened to them or to someone they know very well??
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Jien niehu pjacir nisma min jikxef il-korruzzjoni f'Malta taghna, pero sa issa nemmen li Dr. Gonzi qed jipprova irazzana ghalkemm hi battalja semi mitlufa, anke barra minn Malta. Issa il-Kap ta' l-Oppozizzjoni se jdahhal l-ligi li Ministru tista' tibqa tinvestigah u titfghu l-habs sa 30 sena minn meta jispicca bhalma kien ressaq mozzjon Dr. Ang Farrugia imma ma ghaddietx? Jekk iva nivvotalu u l-ewwel prim Ministru- ikun Dr. Alfred Sant li seraq l-Inkjesta Muscat Azzoppardi, dik li investigat il-frame-up ta' missieri Karm Grima u intbaghat inturtament Monte Carmelis Ghall-ghomru biex jahbu il-kriminali ministri minn zewg nahhat li ipperpetwaw il-vjolenza tal-15 ta' Ottubru 1979. Imisshom jisthu min ghamilha u hbijha ghax messet lilu ukoll u min seraqha biex jghatti xtur l-MLP.Dr. Gonzi qed jikkonsidera kumpens u nirrispettah jekk jagixxi.
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As always, Maltatoday with the best stories around which other news papers are afraid to print,thanks God we have Maltatoday.
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A chip of the old block, this Juanita. Falsification seems to run in the family. By the way, how come this Juanita was employed by the Law Courts despite her criminal record? Isn't this another case of corruption on the part of the employer? How was she employed? Who formed part of the interviewing board, if ever there was one? Was she asked to present a Police Conduct? If so, one should examine whether she had falsified this as well, fraud being her main profession.
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And then GonziPN tries to put pressure on certain members of the judicary to honour their position in other places while not on duty! I'm just gonna use two Maltese proverbs to summarize what I want to say! First that : 'L'ispiżjar milli jkollu jtik!', and second : 'Iż-żejt tiela f'wiċċ l'ilma'. I think that certain people will understand me quite well!
