Police step into Sliema council investigations

Sliema PN councillors are reportedly expecting the police to come knocking at their doors this week, as investigations into alleged financial irregularities within the PN stronghold have deepened, with the Department for Local Government referring the case to the Internal Audit and Investigations Directorate.

The investigation has internally rocked the PN, as its Sliema mayor Nikki Dimech has become the focus of the inquiry. The party is bracing itself for the prospect of seeing government dissolve the council in its traditionally most important and historical stronghold.

As one senior PN official put it, “we have a huge mess on our hands, and unless our eight-man majority gets its act together, the party is facing tremendous embarrassment.”

The investigations into alleged mismanagement of funds by the Sliema council were referred to the Internal Audit and Investigations Directorate because the issue was “too big” for the department of local government to handle on its own.

Issues relating to alleged mismanagement of funds were raised by PN councillors, who reported their mayor to the party and demanded immediate action, including his resignation.

PN secretary-general Paul Borg Olivier had no choice but to refer the case to Parliamentary secretary Chris Said – responsible for local government – who was apparently already informed of the allegations, and alerted the department of local government and the police to look into the issues raised.

33-year old mayor Nikki Dimech has since cut off all communications with his fellow councillors and the media, while he reportedly failed to attend an important meeting summoned this week by the party for all its Sliema councillors.

Dimech – who this week responded to this paper with a ‘no comment’ and a threat to sue for libel, texting a MaltaToday journalist by telling him to “prepare insurance” – is reportedly telling his close friends and constituents that he is “fed up” of the PN and is ready to throw in the towel, stating that he feels “betrayed” by his own.

Sliema Labour councillor Martin Debono downplayed the allegations levelled at mayor Nikki Dimech – branding the investigations as “silly” – another PL councillor, Nicolai Gauci, is in the PN Mayor’s direct employ while the daughter of Marianne Aquilina, the PL’s third Sliema councillor, has recently resigned from the same audit firm.

Meanwhile, a council meeting that was convened last Wednesday was suspended ‘sine die’ by mayor Nikki Dimech after chaos broke out when Nationalist councillor Julian Galea objected to PL councillor Martin Debono recording the proceedings.

A war of words ensued and a visibly agitated Dimech, after repeatedly banging the mayor’s gavel to restore order, ruled that Martin Debono was in order and could record the proceedings of the meeting.

Galea, along with other PN councillors Johanna Gonzi and Cyrus Engerer, continued to complain until Dimech hurriedly passed a motion to suspend the meeting indefinitely “until everyone calms down”.