Friends of Sliema mayor: ‘Nikki admitted to police under duress’

Close friends of Nikki Dimech have told this newspaper that the Sliema mayor, expelled from his party this week by PN secretary-general Paul Borg Olivier, was “forced to admit” to having asked for kickbacks on a council contract.

MaltaToday has learnt that Dimech signed two police statements on Wednesday, 11 August.

In the first one, signed at 1pm, he denies outright to interrogating police inspector Angelo Gafà of having demanded a €5,000 commission from a council contractor, Stephen Buhagiar, of Swieqi.

He was then remanded into a police cell, at the Floriana headquarters where he was being interrogated, and reportedly denied his asthma inhaler.

“Nikki was denied his inhaler and by the time he was interrogated a second time, he was having an asthmatic panic attack, and had difficulties breathing,” sources speaking to MaltaToday said.

At 3:30pm, he was taken back into interrogation and at 4pm he signed a second statement, this time admitting having asked for a commission from Buhagiar, for works he carries out for the Sliema council.

“He came back home saying he was desperate by the time he was questioned a second time, and had admitted to the charges to obtain a swift release from the police depot.”

The same sources said Dimech only signed the second statement to be able to go back home as soon as possible, and that pleas to have his inhaler brought to him at the police HQ went ignored. His lawyer was not present during the interrogation either.

According to the statement in which Dimech admits his guilt, he asked for a kickback from Buhagiar before he was awarded the contract. Although Buhagiar refused to pay a ‘commission’, Dimech voted in favour of appointing him as council contractor during the council meeting discussing the works tender.

“He told the interrogating officer that Buhagiar had been a supporter of [former mayor] Robert Arrigo, and that Arrigo expected him to favour his people,” the sources said.

MaltaToday is informed that Buhagiar had previously lent his canvassing services to Nationalist MP Robert Arrigo, who was mayor of Sliema before becoming an MP. Subsequently, his wife Marina Arrigo was elected mayor of Sliema.

“Nikki told police that Buhagiar had asked him for a job at the council, and that he proposed for a tender to be issued by the council for a contractor, and in return he would pay back €5,000 in commissions from some €25,000 a year he would receive on works.”

Dimech was this week ‘expelled’ from the Nationalist Party, but the mayor has vowed to stay on as an independent councillor. In a statement the PN said that Dimech was informed his position was “untenable” and a resignation was expected. “Since Mr Dimech did not resign, the PN no longer considers Dimech a PN representative in the Sliema local council and does not form part of the party’s structures. The PN expects him to immediately resign as mayor and councilor.”