Opposition questions Herrera’s defense of former client

The Opposition could not help but notice the interest parliamentary secretary for culture José Herrera was taking in a case involving a former client, Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi has said.

The issue revolves around the promotion of four army majors to Lieutenant Colonels. One of them, Pierre Vassallo, had been fired from the Police Corps in 1986 but was subsequently enrolled in the army. According to the Opposition, this was done on direct orders from the Office of the Prime Minister in November of 1986. In 2006, Vassallo did not pass a security check, which according to the PN was related to the incident which occurred in 1986.

The PN has now alleged that pressure was made on the Head of the Malta Security Service to grant Vassallo his security clearance.

Writing in MaltaToday last Sunday, Herrera said that Vassallo had filed a constitutional case in 2007 to find out the reason why he did not receive his security clearance in 2006. Herrera had then been his legal defence counsel.

But in a reaction, Azzopardi asked why the junior minister was now speaking on behalf of his former client.

"We cannot help but notice how Herrera is still writing on behalf of his supposedly former client," he said.

Azzopardi added that Herrera "knew well enough" why Vassallo had left the police force and why the then Police Commissioner had ordered disciplinary steps against him with the case ending up before the Public Service Commission.

"We expect the government to publish all details related to the case in 1986 and the security vetting policy which the Security Services followed until this was amended in March 2013," Azzopardi said.

The MP noted that while that an individual could not become a local warden if he had kicked out of the Police Corps, yet Vassallo received a promotion to the third highest rank in the AFM.

Vassallo had climbed up the ranks to Major before being promoted to Lt Col this year.

Without delving into detail, the PN also asked "what role did two particular officials within the customer care office at Castille" play in Vassallo's promotion.