Immigration officer demands return of mobile phone seized by police

The former TV presenter arrested by police over an alleged security breach has filed a judicial protest demanding that police return a mobile phone and his tablet seized during his interrogation.

Norman Vella, an immigration border official who was until recently seconded to the public broadcaster as a TV presenter for the daily current affairs show TVHEMM, said his mobile phone and tablet had been confiscated by police officers questioning him on photos he allegedly took of government aides inside MIA.

Vella said he was arrested at 6:30pm on Sunday, 27 October while at work at the Malta International Airport's immigration office, on suspicion that he had taken mobile phone images of the government's chief communications coordinator Kurt Farrugia and home affairs ministry communications coordinator Ramona Attard as they passed through a security area.

The two were on their way to join other communications coordinators in London attending a course organised by the Public Administration International (PAI) on government image and communication.

Vella said police inspector Maria Stella Attard confiscated his mobile and tablet devices, and that a search for the alleged photos proved negative.

Vella has claimed that he gave Farrugia and Attard a friendly acknowledgement as they passed through the restricted area at MIA, but government sources and the police said that Vella was allegedly caught on CCTV footage taking photos. MaltaToday has not confirmed this statement.

The government's communications coordinators are on a training course in London on government image and communication, with UK experts drawing on their experience in the British government. The course is organised by Public Administration International, through the prime minister's Centre for Development, Research and Training. The coordinators will also be visiting the Reuters offices and the BBC World newsroom.

Vella said in the protest that the police had abusively retained his devices. "The taking of photos is not a crime... the police are keeping these devices illegally and abusively, and since none of the alleged photos were found, there is no reasonable suspicion of any crime."

He also said that no magistrate's warrant had been sought for the confiscation. The writ was filed by lawyers Therese Comodoni Cachia, a Nationalist EP candidate, and Karol Aquilina, a Nationalist mayor.

Much was said of the government aides' travels to London: they are currently attending a course organised by the Public Administration International. The course, 'Government: Image and Communication - The UK experience' was organised through CDRT, the government's training wing CDRT.

Contacted by MaltaToday, a government spokesperson said the delegation would be visiting Reuters, ministries and will attend a lecture by Tim Dunmore - a former UK Cabinet office director. Dumore also headed the team managing the recruitment of professional development communications across the UK government.

"Government has been sending officials to PAI since 2001 on different courses with the same institute," the spokesperson said.