They haven’t yet cut him loose
Don Manuel’s driver has been arrested. He will be charged today or tomorrow with attempted murder. Times of Malta reports that his arrest today comes after “intense discussions” between the police and the Attorney-General.
Why discussions, intense or otherwise? When I uploaded a video on this website on the eve of the general election, there two senior police officers at my gate at 9pm, one from the Homicide Squad and the other from the Criminal Investigation Department, bearing a warrant for my arrest.
Imagine if I had shot two rounds into Don Manuel’s car, chased him and shot another round into it, causing his engine to seize. Would I even still be alive, let alone arrested?
The police are still trying to protect him. I imagine the AG wasn’t having any of that.
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I suppose that faced with the motion of no confidence Manwel Mallia needs to be seen to be doing something.
Anything.
Let us see if the tablets for the ‘too little, too late syndrome’ are in stock? Is there a delivery service to Mallia’s area of residence or can he just ask an armed driver to collect them from the POYC?
Perhaps the police can inform us whether intense discussions are carried out before each and every arrest and if not, why not?
Since it must have been the police who leacked the information regarding Mr. Morrison Smith’s alcohol result, could they do the same with Sheehan’s please?
Best thing he can do is resign.
Hi Daphne what about this ? http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141126/local/12099-spent-on-air-tickets-for-prime-ministers-wife.545783 .
Isn’t that 2,000 Euro for each ticket?
Quite apart from the times she took her children out of school to travel with her.
“In five of the six visits, the Muscats were also accompanied by their children, for whom they paid personally.”
1) Why did the children accompany the prime minister and his wife on official trips?
2) Who footed the bill for the children’s accommodation on such trips?
3) Who footed the babysitting bills (including possible accommodation and flights) for the said trips?
4) Are we to believe that, while the Muscats travelled in club class – at an average of €2,000 a ticket – they forked out some €3,500* per trip (for flights alone) for their children? (*Bearing in mind that ClubClass flights for children are only marginally less than those for adults)
I don’t like this.
From Joseph Muscat’s perspective, we’re on that 15-day magisterial inquiry countdown.
Strategy, not justice.
There may be a new victim in all this.
The intense discussions may also be the AG refusing to include charges not his doing.
Don Manwel Mallia: Taking care of those who protect us.
If the Briton was overtaken by GM14, and the engine was shot at, then it was not the RIU that stopped the car . . . another misinformation.
And Manuel Mallia himself hasn’t resigned, nor has Joseph Muscat.
Nor Luciano Busuttil, Helena Dalli….did I miss anyone?
ah yes…Chris Cardona…Owen Bonnici ….
Do you expect them to resign? Only people with a sense of honour do.
Of course I expect them to resign.
That’s not the right question though Evarist, the right question is will they do the decent thing and resign?
Saying they won’t resign only enforces their will not to do so.
We cannot expect them NOT to resign, the right thing is to collectively pressure them to do so.
I suppose the problem lies in whether Sheehan was acting as a driver or as a policeman.
If Sheehan is described as a driver he could not carry a pistol, while shooting at someone to kill carries more weight if the shooter is a police officer.
Over and above this, we will be hearing to Morrison Smith’s evidence. I hope this case will not be heard behind closed doors.
Someone is between a rock and a hard place.
[Daphne – The fact that he is a policeman increases the crime under our laws, Gahan, rather than being a mitigating factor: he committed a crime he was in duty bound to prevent.]
Similarly this is why it’s much more grave when it’s a priest that abuses a minor.
Common sense tells me that if they are charging Sheehan with attempted murder, the AG must think that he did not shoot at the car but at Morrison Smith. You cannot murder a car.
That may be so, but in any case Sheehan should also be charged with the lesser offences of manslaughter, putting lives in manifest dangers, not preventing crimes he was supposed to prevent etc. Failing to do that invites an undeserved verdict of “not guilty” (as charged only).
“Intense discussions” between the police and the Attorney-General reminds me of other (similar?) discussions between Anton Attard and Silvio Scerri.
In both cases the parties in the discussions are “knowledgeable in the medium”.
Mallia, Malta can do without your manipulative and unskillful mafia techniques and remain the respectable country it was before you and your ilk came around. Please go and leave us in peace.
This is scandalous – and very convenient for some. The area where the police store material evidence is not protected by security cameras.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141126/local/mystery-still-surrounds-gold-chain-missing-in-court.545788
DO US ALL A FAVOUR AND RESIGN, MR MINISTER.
A third bullet in the front of the car makes the position of the cars when they stopped very interesting. Pity there was that little unintended mistake of moving Morrison’s Smith car before the inquiry started.
Does anyone have any idea if there are any photos of the original positions of the cars?
Something is still not right.
Something tells me that these last days everything was arranged incognito, as we say in Maltese language ‘bizzilla’, before the arraignment in court.
Last Tuesday in Parliament during question time, Manuel Mallia stated that he was initially informed that HIS car was shot at.
How can he explain that he didn’t press for more information? When did he come to know that it was his driver that shot at another person? Can he ever be believed when he says he didn’t ask for further details from the Acting Police Commissioner?
We will have to wait for the outcome of the inquiry commission, since there is going to be a motion of no confidence from the Opposition, Manwel said. Answers to too many questions must be made clear.
Synchronicity of counter pressure is what they abhor.
This is the only thing that can eventually break them.
They will do anything possible to linger, waste time and prolong matters so that the pressure abates and the synchronicity loosens.
What they don’t realise is that this too will become like the process of annealing in swordmaking: each reheating will form a tighter arrangement of the particles, until that moment when, even if there is an upteenth delay, the synchronicity is constant.
The police seem to be beginning to do their duty albeit very reluctantly.
A case of attempted murder with the suspect paraded on the media for a whole week and no arrest yet?
This apart from the volleys of official blatant lies we have been fed.
The political responsibility for these shenanigans lies with Mallia and no one else.
He, and the person directly responsible for this dilly-dallying the A/Commisioner should go or be made to go.
No amount of layers of whitewash by retired judges can alter these sacrosanct facts.
Do not underestimate the forensic skills of a lifelong successful defender of criminals turned Minister i/c the Police.
http://maltarightnow.com/news/2014/11/26/aggornata-ix-xufier-tal-ministru-arrestat-u-se-jitressaq-il-qorti-fil-hin-li-gej/
Sheehan has been arraigned, for attempted murder.
This charge is ridiculous. It is clearly tailor-made to make him get off the hook. How can you actually prove it was attempted murder. Did he shoot with the intention to kill Smith, or with the intention to stop the car (which he did)?
This is not an involuntary attempted murder. Sheehan did not shoot by mistake. He aimed. And at the car, not at the driver.
Therefore, there is no attempted murder, and he will be set free, paying some small amount of money for discharging a gun in a built-up area.
Mallia is playing home here.
That must be the reason for the “lengthy discussions” between the Police Minister and the police, etc, as reported on timesofmalta.com.
Equally tailor-made is the ‘independent’ inquiry by the three retired judges, to be concluded within 15 days (because the administration of justice can be so efficient where it suits us), which is to decide on the Minister’s involvement, direct or indirect, in this tragi-comi-pathetic saga.
My fears precisely. In think this point merits further reflection.
”Wednesday, November 26, 2014, 13:36 by Matthew Xuereb
Man jailed for stabbing driver in road rage incident”
Amazing in this case which has much of the same elements the aggressor was breathalyzed. He was also accused of causing a disturbance on top of the other charges.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141126/local/man-jailed-for-stabbing-driver-in-road-rage-incident.545784
What about his brother? If he was on the scene during the shooting, possibly in the same car, wouldn’t he be part of the crime? Or would he be just an eye witness?
He would not be a compellable witness against his brother – that is for sure.
”She (Supt Mamo ?) revealed that after the incident, both Mr Sheehan and Mr Smith were taken to the Msida police station and that their rights were read out. She said that Mr Sheehan sought to consult the lawyer of his choice, while Mr Smith appeared to be not in a position to understand.”
I like the ‘Mr Smith appeared to be not in a position to understand’ which I am assuming means that his level of consciousness took a nose dive after he was taken from the scene.
He had just been chased by a madman with a gun which makes it very probable that he could also answer a simple question at that time. We also were told that he speaks both Maltese and English so there was no language barrier. A sudden deterioration of lucidity should be checked medically.
In light of this, one assumes that a doctor’s advice was sought, after all this man had just be attacked and the police were in no position to rule out anything. Was the breathalyzer administered during this time of Mr. Morrison Smith’s lack of comprehension?
Perhaps Dr Franco Debono, the champion of legal aid for the arrestee can clarify what can and should be done in such circumstances?
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-11-26/local-news/A-week-after-Gzira-shooting-Manuel-Mallia-s-driver-arrested-and-held-for-questioning-6736126378
We’ll soon be hearing of the AG’s resignation.