[WATCH] Minister silent on whether prison director's position is tenable

Byron Camilleri dodged questions on whether the prison director's position remains tenable after an inquiring magistrate asked for two prison officials to be charged with involuntary homicide over an inmate's attempted suicide.

The Home Affairs Minister insisted his decisions will be based on facts.

“I will decide on the facts,” he said, specifying that the magisterial inquiry found that the two officials failed to act according to protocol, and the director was not informed of the warders’ behaviour at the time.

On his personal responsibility in the matter, Camilleri said he had set up an independent inquiry to evaluate suicide prevention measures in the prison, and its report will be published once concluded.

The Home Affairs Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that two prison officials are set to be charged with “crimes of an involuntary nature” in connection to a female prisoner’s suicide attempt last June. The inmate died in hospital three weeks later.

The magisterial inquiry identified certain shortcomings from the two warders, who were immediately suspended and are now subject to proceedings before the Public Service Commission. They will also be charged in court.

The prison’s operations have been under heightened scrutiny after two suicide attempts took place over the summer.

Kim Borg, a female prisoner, was first to attempt suicide in June, eventually dying at Mater Dei Hospital on 4 July where she was being kept for treatment.

One month after her death, another inmate tried to kill himself, prompting the Home Affairs Ministry to set up an inquiry board to review the prison’s suicide prevention measures.

After Wednesday’s revelations that two warders are set to be charged in connection with the first suicide attempt, University dean Andrew Azzopardi and veteran journalist Peppi Azzopardi called for a public inquiry to be appointed, with the aim of establishing whether the State could have prevented Borg's death.

The Nationalist Party also called on the minister and the prison director to shoulder responsibility for the death in the wake of the magistrate's findings.