Gonzi stands by Edgar Galea Curmi

In what proved to be an increasingly embarrassing day for Gonzi, the Prime Minister saw his earlier claims that “(his) government does not interfere with police work” contradicted twice in the space of a few hours: first by Police Commissioner John Rizzo, who revealed that Galea Curmi had in fact called him and tried to set up a meeting with Engerer’s lawyer; and later by Galea Curmi himself, who was forced to issue a press statement in which he admitted having intervened with the police at the request of his godson, Cyrus Engerer.

Gonzi’s government has also found itself staving off criticism over the ‘coincidence’, whereby the police issued charges against Cyrus Engerer for alleged diffusion via email of explicit photographs, and arrested his father Chris over possession of marijuana, just days after the 29-year-old Sliema councillor resigned from the PN and defected to Labour.

Visibly under pressure, Gonzi started his day by addressing top civil servants at Castille, while his secretariat was fending off accusations that police action against the Engerers had been politically motivated.

A report against Cyrus Engerer was originally filed with the police by his former lover Marvic Camilleri almost two years ago, when their relationship ended acrimoniously. The charge sheet appeared in The Times yesterday morning, triggering a series of questions as to who leaked the charges to the media at such an early stage, when only a few officers would be in the know.

While the Prime Minister was addressing his departmental heads in the Cabinet’s Room, his close aides were on the phone with angry officials at the Nationalist Party headquarters in Hamrun.

PN information secretary Frank Psaila was reportedly livid at the story appearing in The Times, and warned Castille that it was high time that someone gave explanations, and also warned about the political consequences should it emerge that the charges were leaked from Castille.

This warning prompted the Prime Minister’s aides to alert him to the possibility that questions could come his way from the awaiting media, and responded that “government does not interfere in police work.”

But Gonzi’s comment to the media was immediately upstaged by a statement issued by the PN’s communication office which demanded explanations from the Commissioner of Police regarding the timing of the charges against Cyrus Engerer and the arrest of Chris Engerer for possessing marijuana.

The Prime Minister’s secretariat did not appreciate the party’s statement, and involved the home affairs ministry who, in turn, engaged Commissioner John Rizzo and agreed to a press conference being called later in the day.

The press conference revealed a perturbed John Rizzo, who had to respond to the unusual call for explanations by the party in government, when the Prime Minister had in fact stated earlier that “government did not interfere in police work.”

But as the Commissioner vouched for his men and their word that their actions were not politically motivated, he let the cat out of the bag by confirming, in answer to a MaltaToday question, that he had actually received a phone call from Edgar Galea Curmi.

The Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff was enquired about Cyrus Engerer’s father’s arrest the previous day, and asked Rizzo to take action that the Police Commissioner himself said ‘went beyond his duties as police’.

Rizzo – who said he saw nothing wrong in Galea Curmi calling him – admitted also that he understood that Cyrus Engerer was next to the caller at the time, and said that Galea Curmi asked him to clear the air with Engerer’s lawyers who were hinting at political motivations.

Questions were raised however regarding whether Galea Curmi was legally permitted to ask for such information, and to be forwarded such information.

While it remains unclear if the Prime Minister knew about this telephone conversation between Edgar Galea Curmi and the Police Commissioner, the media were told that the Commissioner replied to Galea Curmi that he would do nothing of the sort and that he would not involve himself in anything ‘political’.

But the Prime Minister’s problems had just grown bigger at that time, when Edgar Galea Curmi was compelled to issue a press statement confirming his phone-call to John Rizzo, and that he is Cyrus Engerer’s ‘godfather at confirmation’, besides admitting to having both “Cyrus and his family at heart.”

This statement and John Rizzo’s comments triggered yet another reaction, this time by Labour leader Joseph Muscat who called for the immediate resignation of Galea Curmi for interfering with police work.

While home affairs minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici appointed Judge Albert Manche’ to head an inquiry into the events, this was immediately shot down by Joseph Muscat who declared his no-confidence in the Judge over his ‘inaction’ within the Commission Against Corruption.

Muscat meanwhile called for the setting up of two independent public inquiries to establish the facts, especially with regards to Edgar Galea Curmi’s phone call to the commissioner.

As the Prime Minister closed his eventful day, the PN tried to cushion the impact by issuing another statement, this time stating that it had only learnt yesterday about the charges against Cyrus Engerer, and that the former Nationalist actiuvist had been interrogated by the police three weeks before he resigned from the PN and moved to Labour.

As the lights went out at Castille and the PN headquarters in Hamrun last night, the Cyrus Engerer saga was all over the evening news in different versions, leaving the general public perplexed at the sheer extent of ‘coincidences’.