Racism, intimidation, degrading treatment under Alex Dalli's watch flagged by Ombudsman

Updated at 4:03pm with Home Affairs Ministry reaction

An Ombudsman investigation following media reports has confirmed a number of instances of maladministration, including dysfunctional prison management, the degrading treatment of prisoners, racism, and the use of intimidation as an operational tool.

In a 30-page report, the Ombudsman listed several shocking instances in the Corradino Correctional Facility (CCF), particularly during Alex Dalli’s time as its director. The report was also prompted by Moviment Graffitti, who had written to the Ombudsman to investigate public concern over the CCF's operation.

The report found evidence of blatant racism toward non-Maltese prisoners, including a specific incident where a group of irregular immigrants were forced to kneel and were intimidated by police dogs. One witness said that the inmates, who had just arrived at CCF were later stripped and hosed down with a pipe.

Alex Dalli is now handling migration control efforts as part of a joint Malta-Libya centre, with an annual wage of €103,000. 

The report also addresses claims about Dalli’s use of his official firearm to threaten prisoners. In 2023, Dalli had lost a libel case against Mediatoday newspaper Illum and its editor Saviour Balzan on report claiming he held a gun in an inmate’s mouth.

On this matter, the Ombudsman refers to “credible” witness testimony that painted a pictore of the atmosphere present when Dalli served as director.

“He confirms that Col. Dalli used to carry a firearm and that sometimes he would show the weapon by opening his jacket in front of inmates. He adds, however, that he might have been doing so because of fear induced by the responsibility of his position. He states that in the many years that he had been in prison before the arrival of Col. Dalli he had never seen a Director of Prisons carrying a firearm,” the report says.

The Ombudsman listed witness testimony stating that even if an inmate tells Dalli “Good morning, Sir,” the inmate would be reported for offending him. “We’re in a situation where if you sneeze during a fall-in, you’re locked up for five days,” another witness said.

The report notes that “any means would be used” to justify ends such as discipline and preventing the importation of illegal items into prison, noting that this attitude, “undermines the concept of the Rule of Law and invariably leads to abuse and gross violations of human dignity.”

Dalli was not the only prison official responsible for the atmosphere within the prison. 

Referring to one witness who was deemed eloquent, precise and totally reliable, the report notes that the witness described “the prison administration as “fabbrika tal-ħażen”, stating that Col. Dalli had positive plans for the CCF but that he was thwarted by other CCF officials. This witness expressed his views on the causes of the suicides that had occurred in prison in no uncertain terms.”

The witness described the situation as “a cult” where people “lead with an iron fist, who don’t understand the social system or the lack of education that criminals need.”

On a legal note, the Ombudsman took note of certain regulations which, “create a situation of where power is concentrated into the hands of one person without proper and adequate supervision and accountability. Moreover, these changes in the running of the CCF were brought into effect at a time where it must have been obvious to one and all that, to adopt and adapt Shakespeare, ‘something was rotten in the state of Denmark.’”

The Ombudsman recommended that the Correctional Services Agency (CSA) adopt the recommendations made by the NAO in a 2024 report.

Another recommendation was to grant greater media access to places of confinement. "Had the media been granted routine inspection rights, many problematic situations that arose may have been prevented or mitigated. The Director of Prisons should therefore formulate a clear policy or protocol governing such visits, ensuring no improper discrimination, and balancing the legitimate demands of security and inmate privacy."

The full report can be accessed below.

Home Affairs Ministry silent on Alex Dalli's current employment

Responding to the damning report, the Home Affairs Ministry stated that it is evaluating the report.

The ministry added that the report itself takes note of a number of actions taken by the ministry, further stating that the three years since the events mentioned in the report have been "three years of continuous change and action."

They further stated that such changes could be implemented because the CCF was successfully fighting its drug problem, adding "no rehabilitation can happen in a prison that is full of drugs."

The ministry did not mention Alex Dalli, who was transferred to a different entity within the same ministry despite 14 suicides in CCF while he was its director.

Instead, the ministry gave a list of initiatives taken to improve the situation in the CCF, including the establishment of a Prison Commissioner, an increase in services and a boost in human resources inside the prison.

"This does not mean that there isn't more to be done," the ministry said, listing examples such as the introduction of electronic monitoring and a reform in the law regulating parole.