Threat on Fenech Adami was ‘real and imminent’- senior police sources

Senior Police sources have confirmed that an entrapment operation to search for fugitive Fabio Psaila in connection with a number of major armed heists, had to be suspended to quickly arrest former inspector David Gatt, as intelligence suggested that vindictive attacks, in particular on former President Eddie Fenech Adami were “imminent.”

David Gatt was arrested at the Law Courts registry on Monday December 6 shortly before he had to meet his befriended turncoat PC99 Mario Portelli. Gatt was meant to take the constable to fugitive Fabio Psaila and accompany a nurse to see to a wound sustained by the fugitive in a shootout during a foiled heist on a jeweler in Attard.

Based on information provided by PC Portelli and additional intelligence gathered by investigators, a warrant for David Gatt’s arrest was obtained from an inquiring Magistrate who reportedly “didn’t want to take further risks.”

According to senior investigators, it was possible that David Gatt may have been informed that PC Portelli was reporting to his superiors on what he was up to. It was also possible that PC Portelli’s position was compromised and he may have also been in imminent danger.

While the threat of a vindictive attack was strengthened by PC Portelli’s report that David Gatt had slammed his hand on a table stressing that :”the time has come to pull the shutter down on this guy!” [wasal iż-żmien li nniżżillu x-xutter lil dan] when referring to former President and Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami, for having approved his dismissal from the police force in 2001, investigators feared Gatt may have retaliated in a panic as he understood that investigators were onto him.

PC Portelli admitted before a court that he somehow obtained former President Fenech Adami’s cell phone, and called him anonymously from a phone booth in Zurrieq to warn him on the planned vindictive attack.

David Gatt was described by PC Portelli as a dominant character with an obsession on freemasonry and the Sicilian mafia, and assimilated himself to the notorious Corleonese ‘boss of bosses’ Totò Riina who was captured in 1993 after 25 years on the run.

“Gatt called himself ‘Zù Totò (Uncle Totò) - the name used to address Totò Riina by his clan in Corleone - he distributed copies to his friends of the TV series ‘Capo dei Capi’ (boss of bosses) that re-enacted the life of crime by the same Riina, and also individually nicknamed his clique with those of notorious mafia henchmen.

PC Portelli himself was taken by Gatt to a mock intiation similar to enrolling a mafia ‘picciottu’ (soldier).

“He put a holy picture in my hand, burnt it, and then cut my hand with a knife to draw blood and seal an oath of allegiance to him. He warned me that betrayal would cost me my life,” Portelli said.

SMS’s sent on an unregistered mobile phone given to Portelli revealed Gatt’s obsession with the mafia.

The texts were saved on the mobile phone which is now in police possession and show how Gatt communicated in Italian in ‘pizzini’ format.

‘Pizzini’ are the coded messages usually typed on strips of paper which are passed from mafia bosses to their soldiers when on the run.

One particular text message sent in January was soon after the abandoned armed heist on an armoured security van in Mriehel. The text sent by Gatt to Portelli read: “è stato Zù Totò” (It was Uncle Totò).

Gatt also referred in code on meeting places, such as 'wold' for his mother's home, or 'fuq' for an apartment.

While fugitive Fabio Psaila was nicknamed by Gatt as ‘Leoluca Bagharella’ (Riina’s brother-in-law and right hand man) he also introduced him to Portelli as his “general.”

“I got to know David Gatt’s criminal clique and I knew that they all stopped at nothing” (huma nies li jaslu), Portelli said.