.png)
Updated | Norman Vella asks Prime Minister to investigate ‘police abuse’
Former TVHemm presenter leaves court sentence outside Castille for Prime Minister’s attention.
30 October 2013, 12:00am
Miriam Dalli
Miriam Dalli
2 min read
Norman Vella posting the Court's sentence at Auberge de Castille.
Former TVHemm presenter Norman Vella has asked Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to investigate an alleged abuse of power by the Police after a Magistrate ordered the return of his mobile phone and tablet.
The court this evening declared that there was no reasonable suspicion that immigration official Norman Vella had committed a crime and ordered that his smartphone and tablet be returned immediately by the police.
In parliament, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil described the ruling as "a victory for freedom and the country".
Soon after the court's ruling, Vella - flanked by his lawyers Karol Aquilina and Therese Commodini Cachia - addressed a press conference in front of the Office of the Prime Minister during which he left a copy of the magistrate's sentence on Castille's steps. "This sentence proves the abuse of power by the police and I am asking the Prime Minister to see who was responsible for this abuse," he said.
Vella was held for questioning on Sunday night for allegedly snapping pictures of Head of Government Communications Kurt Farrugia and Home Affairs Ministry communications coordinator Ramona Attard as they passed through passport control, a supposedly restricted area.
As a former broadcaster, Vella had availed himself of unpaid leave from his civil service position to work for production house Where's Everybody and was then seconded to the public broadcaster's newsroom in 2012. After the March elections he was placed back at the border control post.
None of the photos that were allegedly taken were found on either his mobile phone and iPad that were seized by arresting officers.
On their part, both Farrugia and Attard denied having filed police reports against Vella and said they did not speak to anyone from the police. However, Vella's lawyer Karol Aquilina told the court that it was police inspector Maria Stella Attard who had told him that Farrugia and Attard reported Norman Vella to the police.
The inspector had spoken to him on the phone when Vella requested legal assistance.
Asked whether he could confirm that it had been the two government officials who reported him, Vella said he didn't know who filed the reports against him.
"However, the Inspector told my lawyer that it had been Farrugia and Attard who filed the report claiming I had taken their pictures and passed them on to Daphne Caruana Galizia," he insisted.
Vella added that it was now "their word against that of the Police Inspector".
Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...
•
Can you please start asking why did the police arrest norman when:
1. No photos were found
2. No photos were published
3. Nobody seems to have filed a report?!!
4. Even if he took the photos that is a breach of airport rules and not a breach of malta's laws so not even then could have he been arrested.
The answer is:
Labour is taking us back to the mintoffian days when you were arrested as a threat to stop hitting at the government. Simple enough for those that have some logic in their brains.
Ps: in 25 years of scandals never have the nationalist administration arrive to such dangerous levels of undemocratic decisions such as this and Elton's case. We are really going back in time very quickly.
•
Can I ask a question about all this fuss, Why DCG published the photos on Her blog 'as stated by some local media' and immediately after Norman's was questioned by police, these 'photos' were deleted from Her blog? If there were nothing combined with Norman therefore there was no need to be deleted, 'if ever were published'.
David Bongailas •
Oh stop giving so much coverage to this diva! Aktar il-pulizija tawh l-ispazju biex joqghod idejqilna ghajnha. U il-media tal-PN jekk ihobbuh tant ghalfejn ma jehduhx maghhom ?? Eh bil-haqq ghax mal-PN ikollok tahdem b'xejn hux vera, u zgur is-Sur diva Vella ghadu ma lahaqx dawk il-livelli ta' generozita.
•
Norman anzi, ghandu jirringrazzja l'Alla li bi gvern Laburista l-gustizzja pprevaliet.
•
lil Dr. Comodini Cachia nifirhilha ta' kemm hi kuraggusa biex tikkonfronta dan il-Gvern tal-PL. Pero nixtieq inkun naf ghaliex din il-brava avukata telqitni wara biss seba' xhur tiddelibera u tirrecerka fuq il-kas tieghi, cioe' il-Frame-up ta' missieri Karm Grima li kien sar fi zmien it-tmeninijiet u l-avukat taghana kien Dr. Guido de Marco. Forsi ghax kien hemm elementi qawwijja nazzjonalisti wara dan il-frame-up infami u giet mghotija il-kandidatura fil-politika biex tieqaf? Kull avukat li qabbad kellu jieqaf minhabba xi post li ha wara!
•
Teatrini. Bniedem li jhobb jidher u jhobb jilghabha tal-vitma. Agent tal-PN qabel l-elezzjoni u issa agent sigriet tal-Busu and Co. Biex iridu jfixklu lill-gvern! Mhux bizzejjed it-tgerfix li sabu l-ministri meta dahlu fit-tmexxija. Dawn il-kummiedji ta' dan il-kummidjant jonqos issa. Araw li l-ligi u r-regolamenti jimxi maghhom u joghbdihom kulhadd u li il-gustizzja tkun ma' kulhadd l-istess. Xejn aktar u xejn anqas. U attenti ghax in-nazzjonalisti ghadhom mahruqin sewwa bir-rizultat ta' l-elezzjoni u ghadhom jipretendu li huma ghandhom is-seta' divina tal-poter. Ma hemmx ghalfejn ikollna xi martri falz ma dawk li kien hemm fil-passat. Kull ma ghamel Vella kien ikontrollat u pre meditat minn tal-Pieta' biex joholqu kaos ta' xejn.
•
Could this be a case of the police getting at Mr Vella's tablet and phone in connection with with the case he instituted against his dismissal from PBS? Glorfindel, do you consider unjustified arrest and the "seizing" of his personal property by the police as a circus? Perhaps Glorfindel is still young, but I still remember the days when Lorry Sant was Minister for Police and when people feared to air their views because of police reprisal. It is the police who should face a disciplinary board for squandering public funds by arresting a, so far an innocent person. Shades of Pietru Pawl Busuttil? As an aside, milomalta, the word is "chaos" and not "kaos!"
•
Let Justice prevail. Justice is there for one and ALL. Lets start with ex Speakers, Prime Ministers, Ministers, All politicians, then we go for Perm Secs, General Directos, Directors and even ass Directors., and we contimue down the line. The Nationalist showed they have the Balls, flimkien kollox possible. The Labour Party u ta malta atghan ikoll should help those who need their legal assistance. I still persist that I n the Finance departments a serious investigations should take place and I am sure we need to build some 6 story prison because even if we spend all present prisoners away , there wont' be enough space after investigation are seriously carried out. The Nationalists cry for Justice but under their Regime they only did DISCRIMINATION.
•
It seems that every time Kurt Farrugia is involved with his appointment, the PM ends up with egg on his face. One wonders why and how Joseph Muscat chose this dwarf for his appointed position. By what logic did this incompetent dunce deserve to book his place at Castllle? How much longer can the PM’s office afford to keep this witless wonder around to continue embarrassing the government? It is quite clear that not only is Kurt Farrugia unsuitable for his employment but that the government’s power has gone to his head. While insiders might have qualified opinions how and when Kurt Farrugia claimed his territory, it is becoming clearer that the prime minister cannot afford to let him turn Castille into a circus where Kurt Farrugia belongs.
•
Oh cut the theatrics please! One would think the prime minister has nother better to do than dance to the fiddle of this comedian. He the leaders of our country continue with their job please without thwarting their attention from important matters. ... If no pictures were found, could it be that this was a scam, pretending to be taking pictures to then create this whole circus?! ... As a public official he should well know his duties and responsibilities, and yes it is ethically incorrect for an official to take pictures of the public at the airport, even if legally not. ... For all this squandering of public funds he should at least face a disciplinary board.
•
So what are the Police supposed to do? Are they to close shop and let kaos reign rife? I hope that due the abuse of 'Individual rights collective rights can be flushed down the drain'. I have seen the way police deal with protests in London, Rome, Madrid,Athens,Germany, Cyprus on news before and our police are becoming tamed enough to start being told what to do by anyone committing a crime except for victims!!! What a joke and stupid Country my Country has become, Where Journalists have elevated themselves to infallible mini gods and expect everybody else dance to their tune. Even the law courts seem to have been scared off to protect the collective rights not be targeted by journalists and politicians. It has becoming sickening to see such deterioration in Politics, Justice and journalism,when they are supposed to be the pillars of democracy, when don't even know the basics of the word but thing we are the World's benchmark in it, keep it in boring the public with non-even reporting
•
kellma wahda...MISKIN
•
ho ho ho looks like vella has shown us his true colour and which klikka he prefers .Carol and co ?
Luke Camilleri •
MOBILE accetabli li jkollhu wiehed fuq ix-xoghol tieghu, ghalkemm xorta mhux ettiku li tuzah fuq ix-xoghol!
Imma tablet? Mela ma jkollhux x'jghamel Norman ? Ghalfejn jiehdu fuq ix-xoghol mieghu ?
Mela dan Gurnalist/ Papparazz u mhux Ufficjal tal-Passaporti ?
Dawn x'buzullotti huma U KEMM HUMA accetabli f'postijiet sensitivi ?
•
I am no fan of mr vella and i am one of those who showed disgust at the way he used to conduct his tv program but this seems to be a case of bullying by the authorities. I expect a credible explaination if the pl wants to come clean.
•
Center stage, withdrawal symptons?
•
Peter Paul Zammit's position, as Police Commissioner, has become untenable - he should go, now. Of course, he won't, and, unfortunately, peoples' trust in the Police Force will continue to diminish.
It was prone to happen - he was appointed from outside the Corps, and, only a few days before his appointment, he was signing sworn declarations by Labour Party general election candidates about the expenses of their individual electoral campaign. His was a political appointment.
The Police Force has been embroiled in too many controversies since his appointment - the Darrel Luke Borg case - who was arrested for a crime he did not commit; the appointment of well known Labour Party supporters to the Police Board; the serious accusations levelled at him, personally, that he is constantly in the shadows of Minister Manuel Mallia, and his chief of staff, Silvio Scerri, and now Norman Vella's shameful arrest for a 'crime' (there was no crime in the first place) he did not commit.
Peter Paul Zammit should go, now.
-frankpsaila.blogspot.com
