Former police commissioner’s government consultancy job suspended

Former police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar’s consultancy job with the government has been suspended, the Home Affairs Ministry said.

Cutajar was given a consultancy job with the ministry in January after resigning from police commissioner.

However, Cutajar’s name was mentioned in court on Monday during the compilation of evidence against Yorgen Fenech, who stands accused of masterminding the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The Times of Malta had reported that Cutajar may have tipped off pardoned middleman Melvin Theuma of his pending arrest in relation to a money laundering investigation. The newspaper appears to have been privy to the transcripts and recordings that were eventually played out in court during Monday’s sitting.

During one of the recorded conversations with Fenech, the middleman is heard mentioning Cutajar.

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However, in court, Theuma said he only used Cutajar’s name to bluff and show Fenech that he also had connections. Theuma had been fearing for his life before he was arrested in November last year.

It transpired that Fenech had informed Theuma of his impending arrest on money laundering charges, even indicating the date when this had to happen.

Cutajar had also met with a close associate of Theuma to gather information.

The former police commissioner has denied wrongdoing.

In a statement released on Monday afternoon, the ministry said that it was suspending Cutajar’s consultancy services with “immediate effect”.

“This decision was taken in light of allegations that surfaced over the past hours on how Cutajar behaved himself when police commissioner. Cutajar has defended his position. However, the ministry has taken the decision to suspend the consultancy until the facts are clear,” the government statement said.

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