Beppe Fenech Adami slams Abela’s attack on Ombudsman

Opposition MP Beppe Fenech Adami slammed Prime Minister Robert Abela for “attacking” the Ombudsman for revealing torture inside Malta’s prison system.

“Instead of ensuring political responsibility, the Prime Minister attacked the Ombudsman,” Fenech Adami told parliament on Monday.

He was speaking during the Second Reading debate on government’s magisterial inquiry reform. Fenech Adami was reacting to Abela’s comments over a prison report that flagged abuse by former director Alex Dalli.

In comments to the media, the Prime Minister had dismissed the report by saying it is easy to “sit behind a desk, censure in comfort and write reports”.

Fenech Adami argued the report revealed shocking details on Dalli’s methods, and Abela should have acted accordingly instead of attacking the Ombudsman’s.

He also made reference to Ombudsman Joseph Zammit McKeon’s reaction to the PM’s comment with this newspaper.

“I cannot agree with him for one simple reason – the investigation was carried out meticulously. It is not a case where we sat behind a desk and drew up a report. Everyone’s testimony was heard, including those in the highest roles within the prison,” Zammit McKeon said in an interview with MaltaToday.

He said a number of testimonies were heard inside the prison, and there is a record of these testimonies.

“We know exactly what happened inside the prison,” the Ombudsman said.