Star witness reveals obsessions of 'mafia boss' wannabe, David Gatt

A packed court-room this morning heard how a former police inspector styled himself on the Corleonese mafia in Sicily by self-proclaiming himself as ‘Zu Totò’ (in short for notorious boss of bosses Totò Riina who was captured in 1993) and individually nicknamed his clique to those who formed part of the Cosa Nostra.

He also plotted a series of major armed heists and planned vindictive attacks of former President Eddie Fenech Adami, the Attorney General Peter Grech, Police Commissioner John Rizzo and his predecessor George Grech.

David Gatt, 40 of  Birkirkara, stands charged with 14 counts of serious crimes that include a €1 million heist in 2007 from the HSBC Bank branch in Balzan, and three failed heists on an armoured van last January, an attempted heist from the main vault at HSBC Bank’s national headquarters last July and a disrupted heist on a jeweler in Attard on November 30.

Placid, but sometimes fidgety, David Gatt sat in the dock facing Magistrate Tonio Micallef Trigona and listened to every detail that was revealed by his main accuser: PC99 Mario Portelli - a second cousin of his, whom he befriended some time six years ago, until allegedly revealing his innermost secrets.

The self-appointed informer PC99 Mario Portelli - because he came forward after a botched hold-up on an Attard jewellers' shop - is the prosecution’s main witness in its case against the former inspector.

There was tension in the air inside the courtroom before he actually took the stand and revealed what he knew about David Gatt. Portelli arrived early to court laying his beret and sunglasses on the court table and left the room until he was called in. While waiting, he came face to face with Gatt in the corridor who had just been brought handcuffed from Corradino Prisons.

Visibly tense, PC Portelli took the stand but was steady in his evidence, explaining details of how he was slowly introduced to David Gatt’s clique, namely Fabio Psaila who is today considered a fugitive by the police.

“David Gatt always told me that Fabio Psaila was his ‘General’ and later went on to nickname him ‘Leoluca Bagarella’," he said, referring ri the brother-in-law and right hand man of the notorious Sicilian mafia boss of bosses Totò Riina.

The witness said that David used to call himself ‘Zu’ Totò just as Riina was nicknamed, and went around distributing copies of Taodue’s production film ‘Capo dei Capi’ documenting Riina’s tumultuous life and that was broadcast on Mediaset channel Canale 5 two years ago.

“One day he took me to his mother’s house in Birkirkara from where he got a holy picture, then we went to another place where he performed a mafia-style initiation rite, whereby he placed the holy picture in my hand, set it alight and then cut the palm of my hand with a knife to draw blood to the picture.

“He then spoke in Italian warning me that betrayal would cost me my life,” Portelli told the court.

While David Gatt at times fidgeted and passed subtle remarks, leading Magistrate Micallef Trigona to order him to be silent, Mario Portelli went on to explain how David Gatt had given him an unregistered mobile phone and number to keep exclusive contact with him.

David Gatt allegedly communicated his texts in Italian to the extent that soon after last January’s attempted heist on an armoured van in Mriehel, he sent Portelli an SMS message that read: “è stato Zio Totò” (it was Uncle Totò).

That heist had to be abandoned to the ire of David Gatt who allegedly told Portelli that he was dealing with a “bunch of morons” as the gang attacked the armoured van with a stolen tractor from the rear when the doors open outwards.

According to Portelli, the accused had told the gang to attack the armoured vehicle from the side in a bid to rip the armour off. “David told me they didn’t do that and got the doors jammed.”

But in July, soon after the daring attempt to get into the main vault at the HSBC Bank’s headquarters in Qormi, David Gatt rushed to meet with Portelli at a restaurant in Sliema.

“David was extremely down and depressed, he was nagging about how he lost €6 million in that heist,” Portelli said, adding that Gatt had told him that day that he had planned the heist in every detail for five months.

Gatt allegedly had inside help, to the extent that he had coached his clique through the myriad of security corridors.

“He was furious at the Police mobile squad that arrived and foiled the hold-up, and started mentioning the police officers who engaged in the shoot-out, and swore he would pay them back for making lose so much money,” the Portelli said.

The witness went on to explain how David Gatt would keep regular contact with him, opening up on a number of things.

During his meetings with some of the clique, namely with fugitive Fabio Psaila, the witness learnt about David Gatt’s intention to vindicate himself of former President Eddie Fenech Adami, Police Commissioner John Rizzo and his predecessor George Grech, and Attorney General Peter Grech.

“When I met him at a restaurant one time, a TV was on and a news report mentioned the retirement of Eddie Fenech Adami as President. At that moment, David went into a frenzy and shouted: ‘It’s time I pull the shutter down on this guy’ (wasal iz-zmien li nniżżillu x-xutter lil dan) and he slammed his whole hand down onto the table making a very loud sound,” the witness said.

Gatt allegedly held a bitter grudge against his former superiors: Commissioner John Rizzo and former Commissioner George Grech for having been adamant on his dismissal from the police force in 2001, while he also wanted to vindicate himself of Attorney General Peter Grech for having appealed bail that was granted to his ‘lieutentants’ Vince Muscat and Darren Debono who were in prison for the HSBC Qormi shootout.

Portelli had learnt from David Gatt that he had “helped” in the planning of the €1 million heist on the HSBC Bnak branch in Balzan in 2007, where he allegedly took an Lm10,000 cut from the haul, and subsequently went to cash the “prize cheque” at the same branch some days after.

That day, he found Assistant Commissioner Pierre Calleja and another senior police officer at the bank, who were still investigating the heist.

While PC Mario Portelli said that he was finding it live with all the information he knew about David Gatt, restless nights and worrying on threats he was subjected to, including a gun put to his head, he felt he needed to speak to a confessor who convinced him to go to his superiors and tell the whole truth.  

Portelli approached Deputy Commissioner Joe Cachia and was later summoned by Commissioner John Rizzo, who initiated investigations while ordering Portelli to stay indoors, but to keep contact with headquarters should Gatt try something else.

Matters escalated when jeweler Michael Mizzi was attacked by three men when returning home in Attard at night.

Gatt allegedly wanted to target Michael Mizzi to vindicate himself of an episode that goes back nine years. When Gatt was stationed as inspector at the Rabat Police Station, his men had found a bag full of money that was accidentally lost by the same jeweler, and when they returned it, he allegedly never gave them a reward.

The night of the hold-up in Attard, bailed HSBC heist suspect Darren Debono was confronted by the jeweler’s son and seriously injured when his own gun went off. Debono, agonizing, was arrested on the spot.

While Portelli was on stand-by with his superiors, Gatt made contact with him once again and called at his house: “he was in a panic and he needed me to help him find a doctor for Fabio Psaila who was injured in the arm during the attack.”

“He felt sorry for Darren Debono being injured again, saying he will 'no longer see the light of day',” Portelli said, while adding that Gatt was desperate to find medical help for Fabio who had another cell phone to keep constant contact with him.

“He told me that he had Fabio Psaila secure in a safehouse, and while I was bluffing to make Gatt believe me that I would find him a nurse, he told me that he would call for me in the morning to take me to Fabio and perhaps discover his hideout,” Portelli said.

It transpired that the police acted quickly and decided to arrest David Gatt on that same morning and handcuffed him at the law courts.

During his evidence, PC99 Mario Portelli stressed that there is much more information he has passed on to the police and that he cannot say as yet in court as investigations are still ongoing.

Meanwhile Chief Superintendent Pierre Calleja said that during interrogation, David Gatt denied the accusations, but there were moments where he chose to stay silent or refused to answer.

The second prominent witness to be called to the stand was John Zammit Montebello, a medical doctor who reveled that it was David Gatt who had called him on July 1 and asked to see him. “He came to me at 5pm and asked me to do a favour for his client who had suffered an injury and if it was ok that he gave them my number to come see me,” Zammit Montebello said.

According to the doctor, he remained at his clinic until late in the evening, when three men in a green Kia car emerged. “One of them had a wound to his jaw, and I couldn’t see it well and instructed him to go for an X-ray and get back to him in the morning.”

The injured man was Darren Debono and he had a bullet wedged in his jaw from a weapon fired by the police that had returned fire during the foiled HSBC Qormi hold-up.

The next day, two not three men returned to his clinic and the police came by and arrested them all, including the doctor.

While the doctor was later released, the men identified as Darren Debono and Vince Muscat were charged with the Qormi hold-up and shoot-out.

During the sitting, Zammit Montebello was shown a number of photographs and identified Fabio Psaila as the third man who accompanied Debono and Muscat to the clinic.

But in further evidence it transpired that David Gatt had later gone back to find Dr Zammit Montebello at a Balzan bar, when he pulled him aside and pushed him towards the kitchen and asked if he mentioned him to the police.

The doctor replied in the negative as he assumed that the matter was referred to him by a lawyer for his client. He never assumed that David Gatt was a kingpin as described in the charges.

Police later produced a number of CCTV stills taken from the Balzan bar where David Gatt appears to be approaching and talking to John Zammit Montebello.

The sitting ended with Lawyers Edward Gatt and Mark Vassallo asking the courts to release David Gatt on bail, given that the main witnesses were heard.

But the police strongly objected, given that evidence has been produced that David Gatt has harboured fugitives.

Magistrate Tonio Micallef Trigona adjourned the hearing for next Tuesday when a decision is to be taken on bail.