Castille mum on closure to Olaph Terribile case

The proceedings are reportedly stalled before the Publisc Service Commission (PSC) that has not pursued any disciplinary action against Olaph Terribile as it deemed that the case had been referred to it after the end of the prescription period.

This decision has been challenged by both the Attorney General and Godwin Grima as the Principle Permanent Secretary, who insist the case was submitted within the stipulated timeframe.

Former Attorney General Silvio Camilleri had recommended that disciplinary action be taken against the President’s former right-hand man Olaf Terribile but found no grounds for criminal proceedings to be initiated.

The case has since been shelved, with the PSC refusing to examine the allegations.

Reacting to a series of reports in MaltaToday regarding allegations of impropriety at the Palace, President George Abela had called a press conference at San Anton Palace and dumped Olaph Terribile, a seasoned civil servant.

President Abela said that he lost faith in his secretary, and announced that he had written to the Prime Minister and enclosed a report with a request for an inquiry which was then set up by former Cabinet secretary Alfred Fiorini Lowell.

The report submitted by President Abela was based on what his press aide Marica Mizzi had told him about a conversation with The Malta Independent political editor Noel Grima during a State Dinner in honour of visiting Italian President Giorgio Napolitano on June 30.

Mizzi alleged that Grima had suggested that Olaph Terribile had leaked official documents to the press, and passed them on to MaltaToday managing editor Saviour Balzan.

The allegations were proved to be untrue as the Fiorini-Lowell inquiry established that it was never the case that Olaph Terribile ever met Saviour Balzan.

The conclusions of the inquiry were later passed on to the Attorney General by the Prime Minister for “advice” however even here, the Attorney General found no grounds for any criminal action to be taken against Olaph Terribile.

It was pointed out by the Attorney General, that Terribile should be subjected to disciplinary proceedings. The reasons for this remains unknown.

Once back at Castille, the file was immediately archived by the PSC board that stressed that there could be no assessment of the case according to the law that regulates the public service, given that there was a time-lapse.

While the matter was raised by the media over the past few months, the Olaph Terribile matter became a matter of concern for the Palace, as an eventual acquittal of the former Secretary to the Presidency would be a grave embarrassment for President Abela.

MaltaToday is informed that informal contacts between officials from the Office of the Prime Minister and the Palace have been ongoing in a bid to find a solution to the matter.

Olaph Terribile, who has since returned to the Foreign Office and leading the Protocol Office, is still waiting to be cleared by the PSC to be able to travel to London and take up the post of Deputy High Commissioner.