Neville Gafa claims credit for migrant interceptions by Libyan coastguard

Neville Gafa has claimed that through his contacts in Libya, thousands of migrants would be saved at sea by the Libyan coastguard.

The former official within the Office of the Prime Minister, told the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry on Wednesday that “Malta was spared thousands of immigrants”.

He was being quizzed about his role at Castille during the Joseph Muscat administration.

READ ALSO: Former OPM official Neville Gafà says he saw concern not jubilation at Castille when Daphne was murdered

Gafa said he had a diplomatic passport because of his frequent travels to Libya. He was Muscat’s special envoy of sorts.

Gafa courted controversy last year when it turned out that he had met a senior Libyan militia leader in Tripoli, Haithem Tajouri, who faced UN sanctions. Gafa had said that he ‘bumped into him’ when quizzed at the time.

Lawyer Jason Azzopardi asked Gafa about the incident in today’s session of the inquiry.

“Do you know he's under UN sanctions?” Azzopardi asked.

“Yes, and he goes to France sometimes too,” Gafa answered.

The former OPM official said it was not his brief to meet Tajouri.

“I take responsibility for this… through my intervention, Malta was spared thousands of immigrants. I would coordinate with the Libyan coastguard to have people on boats rescued. Otherwise thousands would have died,” he told the inquiry.

Gafa said that he used to be accompanied on his trips in Libya by Kenneth Camilleri, a member of Muscat’s security detail. Camilleri’s name has cropped up in the Caruana Galizia murder investigation.

Asked why Camilleri was accompanying him, Gafa indicated it was for security purposes.

“We weren’t going to Barcelona or Ibiza… I would ask him to accompany me,” Gafa said.