Police 'free to take action' but PN demands commissioner’s resignation

PN demands resignation of Peter Paul Zammit over reluctance to issue bribery charges against Enemalta account holders • 'Police free to take all the actions it deems necessary' - government

26 February 2014, 12:00am
by Miriam Dalli

3 min read

Commissioner of Police Peter Paul Zammit

The Nationalist Party has called for the resignation of Commissioner of Police Peter Paul Zammit, after the police allegedly accepted a "political decision" not to prosecute Enemalta account holders who are suspected to have bribed Enemalta employees to hack into their smart meters.

Today we got confirmation that Muscat's Govt is inherently unjust: preferential treatment in corruption cases. Rule of law disfigured — Jason Azzopardi (@AzzopardiJason) February 26, 2014

PN deputy leader for party affairs Beppe Fenech Adami said the police had accepted a political decision not to press charges. "This has severe political consequences and the Prime Minister has to shoulder responsibility and answer for this. It is scandalous."

A police inspector testifying in the charges against two Enemalta employees confirmed in court that a political decision taken by the government had stopped police investigators from charging Enemalta account holders with bribery in the case of tampered smart meters.

Flanked by MPs Jason Azzopardi and George Pullicino, Fenech Adami said the Opposition had long insisted that the Police was duty-bound to investigate and arraign the consumers who bribed to have their smart meters tampered with.

"It has now been confirmed in court that there was a political decision that stopped the Police from pressing charges. The witness also said that an amnesty was being considered. This simply amounts to political interference... in our opinion scandalous."

But in a reaction, the Maltese government said the Opposition was "trying to hinder the serious work it is carrying out" to break down the web of corruption.

"The Police is free to take all the action it deems necessary. The government is following the legal notice introduced by the Nationalist government in 2006, in line with the AG's advice," the government said.

"One should question whether the Opposition was trying to protect someone who under the previous administration was behind rackets of corruption and theft".

The government said it was committed to break down the "wall of omertà" that had allowed the racket to grow.

Earlierm Fenech Adami said it was "scandalous" and "obscene" that the minister and the Prime Minister were "once again interfering in police investigations". He said the Labour administration knew who the thousands of individuals who had tampered with their smart meters were and yet it had interfered "so that they do not get caught".

"This is extremely serious. No prime minister and no minister has the power or the authority to decide that the Police could now choose not to take steps against suspected criminals," he said.

Junior Minister Owen Bonnici has also been caught up in a lie, Fenech Adami insisted: "Whereas on the 18 February he said the police were 'free to decide on criminal action', it is now clear that the police was not free."

The PN said the police witness's revelation had serious political consequences and consequences on the operations of the Police Commissioner.

"The Commissioner is not carrying out his duty to the full and is obeying political orders. We today have clear proof of political interference and the Commissioner has to answer to this serious accusation. He must resign," Fenech Adami added.

The PN also called for responsibility to be shoulder by the Prime Minister.

Asked by MaltaToday whether the Opposition planned on filing a legal challenge against the Police to force the investigation into bribery, Jason Azzopardi said no.

"The irresponsible and immoral actions of this government are scandalous and the public, now more than ever, can understand how 'serious' the PM is on fighting corruption. How can you talk about accountability and not allow the police to do its job?"

Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...

More from Miriam Dalli

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Dr Jason Azzoppardi MP, is demanding that the commissioner of police should resign, following the screams of Gonzi-Simon-pn, to have various Ministers, and perhaps the Prime Minister also resign , hoping against hope for an election so that their incompetent ministers might have a chance to return to power to reinstall the klikka and its corruption.....the WORLD IS HOLDING ITS BREATH AS THESE PEOPLE ARE PROVING THAT IT IS NICE TO LIVE WITH aLICE IN WONDERLAND

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It's no secret that the PN opposition simply does not like the CoP. In these last nine months, they have called for his resignation far more times than Jason's hair count (aktar min kemm ghandu xahar f'rasu Jason)- excuse the word by word translation from Maltese. Such malicious PN plots are simple and easy to decipher - sow the seeds of mistrust and doubts in the hope that your lies find fertile ground. Unbelievable how able they still think they are to spin and twist facts to their heart's delight!

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Mistoqsija lil Jason Azzopardi, liema kalkolu inti wzajt meta ftit zmien qabel l-elezzjoni ghamilt id-deal tal-CAR PARK TAL-FURJANA u TAL-FEKRUNA, liema kalkolu wzajt sabiex dawn iz-zewg deals kienu jaqblu u favur il-poplu Malti ! Il-kalkolu tieghi huwa li dawn it-tnejn tghajthom karita a spejjes tal-poplu Malti. Il-poplu l-ewwel jrid spjegazjoni ta dak li ghamel gvern nazzjonalista, u ieqfu milli tippruvaw tisgiccaw !

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Maaaa x'holma kerha hlomt dal lejl. Hlomt li ergajna taht Gvern nazzjonalista. If irrejalizzajt li holma ma waqaftx infahhar u nirringrazzja L Alla li issa ghandna min biss serjeta qed jiggieled Dan ic cirku ikrah li fena il pajjiz u swieh fuq 6 biljun dejn. Araw li sakemm jinbidlu dawn in nies hadt ma jerggha jafdhom, nibqghu sod u f'sessina, Maltin ta veru.

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Bil lingwagg spiritwali tal beatu Azzopardi, xinhi lahjar haga li wiehel jaghmel meta jindirizza lil marid....li tghidlu dnubietek mahfura ( jekk thallas ghal kull unit ta eletriku li uzajt plus penali) jew li tghidlu ....qum u imxi lejn il habz u ghara min ser jiehu hsieb familtek.

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Prosit sur Kummissarju, tax-xoghol siewi li qieghed taghmel li ghal gid u ghan NAME tal-Korp tal-Pulizija li int orejt li kapaci tinvestiga b'serjeta kbira.Issa mhux hekk ilna 25 sena shah mimlija bil-korruzzjoni tant li Malta kienet min ta quddiem fil-korruzzjoi fid-Dinja. Issa jekk naqbdu il-huta il-kbira ta' l-oppizizzjoni ser jaqbzu ghalih ? Bhalma diga qeghdin jghamlu jaqbzu ghal-EX...... Poplu hallu l-Gvern halli jahdem.

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Is it possible that Jason has the gall to accuse anyone of misdemeanours! What about the circa €5,000,000 he offered (some say allegedly donated in a legal way) to a staunch PNista from Melleiha! All occurring a week before the national 2013 elections. Go see the Govt Gazzette of those days and find out for yourselves. Mind you, this land was only worth the licences that had abusively been granted it by PN Administrations. Oh Good one this; first we donate licences where there should never have been any; then, out of taxpayers money, we pay MILLIONS to cancel them, when it would only have taken nothing else but a small signature to achieve a democratic result and justice with the long suffering and long abused MALTESE taxpayer.

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Il qahba milli j'kollha t'tik.

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L-ipokrezija Nazzjonalista ma fijiex limitu ghalekk il poplu bezaqhom bil kattiv barra mil poter

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www.enemalta.com.mt/newsDetails.aspx?id=1494 please go on this site and see what was the LN DR joson

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After the last election, Jason `s seen the light, believes that on inspection, he is lily white.

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PN = PATHETIC NU SENSE .Labour has to muck up all the sh!t and corruption the Pn left behind them and now Beppe and their corrupt clan are trying to hide their rubbish they left us with. SHAME ON THEM AND WHO STANDS BY THEM.

Priscilla Darmenia •

It is a wonder of wonders how our politicians when in government act one way and when in opposition act as the holy of holies. – It is only now that the PN are insisting that the police MUST investigate the 1000 odd consumers for electricity theft and possible bribes but when in government they failed to investigate the 650 odd consumers and put away their files. – Regarding bribes, we sill have to see if these consumers approached the Enemalta employees to bribe them or if the Enemalta employees offered their services to the consumers.

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Jason,daks kemm irrezenjat int meta tajt dak il garage il belt lil dak tal gakketta blue.Kif ma tisthix?

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Ok at a simplistic level one can understand the opposition asking for the Commissioner’s head under the pretence of justice being equal to all as well as the basic logic that if the government is somehow forced to irate a thousand or so some hatred will stick, however, the opposition cannot not include in the equation the fact that there must be more than a thousand or so honest citizens who feel they may have been burdened with unnecessary charges not for the country’s sake which they would have no problem with but for the profit of individuals. Honest citizens tend not to be myopic and my take on this is that clamouring for the Commissioner’s head is not enough to alienate them. There was a time when the PN had to be admired for being more subtle and astute in its approach.

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Il-files ta l-eletriku misruq qabdu lil SimonPN kif jghidu l-inglizi' with their pants down'! Kif ma jisthux u ma jghidux mia culpa tal-korruzzjoni fi zmienhom? Kull ma messewk sahtuh! creme de la creme.....ima fil-medjokrita!

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This is truly absurd that any person that being from the PN or Pl who expect that so many people should or indeed must be taken to court. Malta cannot afford such huge costs and the possible jail terms, they would be utterly unrealistic financially and otherwise. Similar situations have occurred in other countries and they were dealt with in this manner that the P L leadership is suggesting as a means to an end. Enough talking let the government act as they are indeed trying to do, aqnd rightly so.

Paul Sammut •

Perhaps these three stooges would rather have pardons dished out dad's style 'taht il-pont ta` San Giljan.'

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can Jason Azzopardi please explain how inherently unjust he was in awarding € 6.5 million worth of OUR MONEY to some PN activist for the land at Fekruna, xemxija just days before he was kicked out of the Government. Was this not a case of preferential treatment and if it was, as I am sure it must have been, when even the Lands Minister in his Government was kept in the dark, how much more has the rule of Law been disfigured. Can the PN volte-face explain how it was just to stop arraignments of over 2000 Enemalta defaulters and allow them much cheaper rates of pay in 2006/07 including reduced fines, to hide 650 files of select people to avoid charging them before the election, and it is now not just to save huge costs of taxpayers' money in arraignments when the defaulters are being charged FULL fines plus costs. My God, what OQBRA IMBAJJDA.!!!!

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The opposition should be the one that should resign and made to pay those €800,000,000, debt left by this same PN

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I hate to inform the PN that the Commissioner of Police was placed by the PL and now you are calling for the resignation of Commissioner of Police Peter Paul Zammit? Jason Azzoppardi et al you must be some kind of dreamers. He will resign like AG did when the opposition asked for his resignation. Stop playing these idiotic political games and get down to business. Go after the OIL Scandal, the Mep Scandal, the Smart Meter Scandal etc. I am not an expert when it comes to politics but they stink. If you want to help people why not propose in Parliament that the PL and the courts give us property owners the right to evict our tenants so we can enjoy the property that we inherited from our parents? I am sure by now you know what properties I am talking about. I spoke with Simon Busuttil when he was a Mep and then he passed me on to Minister Said who could not take the time and in turn passed me on to his incompetent aide. Like the rest of the PL promotions, Commissioner of Police Peter Paul Zammit will stay in place for the duration like AG in your administration did. I think both Administrations have to someday face my situation like they are doing with others and maybe someday after forty years, my siblings and I can enjoy the property at 60 Triq in-Naxxar, B'Kara before we die. Don't sweat the small stuff, Jason Azzoppardi. The sooner I get that property back, the sooner I maybe, start believing in real justice and I might even start believing in our politicians.

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'The best way to defend is to attack':......imma iridt ikollok argumenti sodi mhux ifantili bhal ta SimonPN! Regoli li ghamlu huma stess dwar tbaghbis ta meters tad-dawl issa saru 'decizzjoni politika'! Qabel,jigifieri sa 10 xhur ilu din ma kientx decizzjoni politika? Argumenti infantili li juru car li SimonPN tilef il-boxla anke fl-oppozizzjoni!

Fabian Psaila •

Kieku il-gemel jara hotobtu, JIMMUTA u jaqa' u jmut zopptu!