Police force denies giving false information on Nicolette Ghirxi murder

The Malta Police Force has categorically denied allegations by the Nationalist Party suggesting that information shared during a press conference on August 12 regarding the murder of Nicolette Ghirxi was inaccurate.

In a statement released on Monday, the Police Force said that all details presented during the press conference were truthful.

The Police also confirmed their full cooperation with the Independent Police Complaints Board, chaired by retired Judge Geoffrey Valenzia. The Police will be providing all relevant documents in their possession, including a written refusal from Ghirxi to accept assistance, as reported by the risk assessors from Aġenzija Appoġġ on April 22.

The statement further clarified that despite Ghirxi's refusal, the Police Victim Support Unit still attempted to contact her on April 23, 2024, although the offered services were declined. The Police Force noted that such follow-up actions are standard procedure in similar cases.

The Police refrained from making additional comments on the ongoing investigation but pointed out that the Foundation for Social Welfare Services (FSWS) has also categorically denied the allegations against the Police.

In a press conference on Monday, Nationalist MPs  accused Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà of giving false information and inadvertently blaming the murder victim for refusing the risk assessment.

According to the Sunday Times of Malta, Ghirxi had agreed to take a risk assessment for domestic violence back in April, but she told her friend and her lawyer that she was “talked out of it” by professionals when she attender her evaluation.

The friend told the newspaper that she received a voice note from Ghirxi describing how the risk assessor had persisted on the ineffectiveness of the exercise considering that the messages she had received from her former boyfriend contained insults, not threats.