Elderly man in traffic incident involving Security Service chief, passes away Friday morning

An elderly man who was run over in an incident involving the head of the Malta Security Services, passed away early on Friday night, MaltaToday was informed - just hours after MaltaToday's print edition on Sunday revealed MSS head Godfrey Scicluna would face criminal charges on the driving accident.

The startling news was confirmed to MaltaToday today after this newspaper received a confirmation from the OPM that Scicluna was suspending himself from office pending procedures concerning the "accidental and involuntary traffic accident" that took place in June 2012.

However Commissioner of Police John Rizzo confirmed Scicluna would be facing criminal charges, after MaltaToday brought incident to his attention earlier last week. The matter is believed to have been kept under wraps since June 2012 even though police officers were seen at Mater Dei Hospital inquiring on the incident at the time of the event.

Scicluna could be accused of having caused grievous bodily harm to an elderly man whom he ran over while driving.

The Commissioner last week confirmed Scicluna's involvement in the car accident, in which the elderly man - whose name is not being published - was rushed to Mater Dei Hospital and underwent emergency medical treatment.

There is no suggestion that the man died as a consequence of the accident, however the victim underwent two operations after the accident.

Last week, Rizzo was asked by MaltaToday why no action had been taken against Security Service chief Godfrey Scicluna as a result of this serious incident.

Rizzo said he was not aware that Scicluna had been involved in the accident until MaltaToday raised the incident.

The Security Service has been at the heart of high-profile investigations, such as the phone-tapping that led to the criminal charges for bribery against disgraced judge Ray Pace, but also recordings of former EU Commissioner John Dalli and businessman Silvio Zammit, who is being charged for bribery in the EU snus investigation that forced the resignation of Dalli.

The MSS employ a unified legal interception system by Israeli firm Verint, to tap and record telephonic conversations by mobile and fixed line providers, which finance the interception system through annual fees.

Apart from the Security Service, the police's cybercrime unit at the Floriana headquarters is also equipped to tap phones, but does not fall under the Security Service.