Hugo Chetcuti finds Judge’s comments ‘unfounded, unwarranted and slanderous’

Paceville businessman Hugo Chetcuti has described statements made by Judge Michael Mallia in his regards as “out of place, unwarranted, unfounded and slanderous”.

Chetcuti also said that he was never part of the inquiry, never testified and was never asked to do so by the Judge.

In a press statement issued by his lawyer Peter Fenech, Chetcuti also declared that he was reserving all his rights, including that of filing a libel suit.

The Office of the Prime Minister yesterday published the findings of an inquiry carried out by Mallia into the unethical behaviour of the Zammit family of police officer who had business interests with Gaffarena family during son-in-law’s murder charges.

Daniel Zammit – a former prosecuting officer in the murder case – was also a shareholder in Diabolic Entertainment, a company set up with Luke Chetcuti, son of Hugo Chetcuti.

The inquiry found that Daniel Zammit – son of former acting police commissioner Ray Zammit – threw a birthday party for his brother Roderick at the sumptuous villa of Chetcuti, the owner of various Paceville establishments.

Roderick Zammit is himself a police officer.

In the statement, Chetcuti said that the Judge never asked for his criminal record and “it doesn’t result that any allegations were made against him that merit an investigation”.

“The Judge’s comments about Chetcuti are out of place, unfounded, unwarranted and slanderous,” Fenech said, adding that Chetcuti’s criminal record were tied to “noise from music and other issues relating to his establishments in Paceville”.

Peter Fenech said that the birthday party was held in a private property “and nobody demands a payment when having guests”.

Fenech added that all expenses related to the party had been shouldered by Daniel Zammit.

Judge Mallia described Chetcuti as a “dubious character whose copious penal record includes regular breaches of rules on his Paceville establishments”.

“The fact that the two inspectors organised this birthday party, even though they paid nothing, still puts them in a pecuniary obligation in the sense of the law, making them obliged towards Chetcuti for offering them the venue,” Mallia said.