Hot news: Consuelo was in Singapore with Andy Ellul's and Sharon Ellul Bonici's brother
L to R - Sharon Ellul Bonici, Robert Musumeci, Andy Ellul.jpg
Before you read this, read last night’s post ‘There’s a lot you can do with a pair of chopsticks.’
I knew there’s more of a story here than meets the eye when Magistrate Herrera confirmed in court yesterday that yes, she was indeed in Singapore with a policeman.
But then she failed to give that policeman’s name.
If there was nothing untoward about his identity, she would have said who he was – just as she rushed to tell the court that the policeman she brought over to our table at lunch was Michael Cassar, when it wasn’t.
So I went off and found out the name of the policeman with whom she went with to Singapore. It’s John Ellul, and he’s no longer in the police force.
John Ellul – known to his Facebook friends, amongst whom he counts Robert Musumeci, as John Charles Ellul – resigned from the police force last summer. He had six months of termination leave. It appears that his trip to Singapore with Consuelo Herrera took place in the last few days of that termination leave, making him still officially on the police pay-roll.
And here’s the very best bit of all: John Ellul is a brother to Andy Ellul (the former policeman-turned-lawyer who filed Charlon’s kwerela and is close friend of Consuelo and Robert) and to Sharon Ellul Bonici.
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And all this happens while in opposition! Can you imagine what will happen when Labour is in government?
The Nationalist Party has allowed this to happen. When Labour come to power, it will be anarchy, free-for-all justice, do-it-yourself justice.
Can you imagine just for a moment, what would happen if all the persons involved were PN?
Incomparable, Daphne.
It’s about time the magistrate ends this charade – even should she win the court case (by the remotest chance of anyone’s imagination) she has lost all credibility.
She has become a laughing-stock, and that through her own behaviour.
The sooner the magistrate realises that Daphne does not shoot from the hip and is always very careful to have backing for what she writes the better. U jhalluna mill-gossip journalist. Hekka gossip!.
The truth is that the magistrate is objecting to Daphne’s ‘style’ of writing and not its substance. Style doesn’t amount to libel.
Interestingly, the magistrate in question testified in yesterday’s “defamation” case regarding how she felt regarding the use of the words “sow”, “45-year-old”, “ugly” -and yet, she seemingly found no objection to various references regarding her unbecoming sexual liaisons (unbecoming for a magistrate, that is).
“Sow” and “ugly” are mere insults. They are not defamatory in any way. As for references to her age being defamatory, what can one say?
If she’s claiming that any terminology is insulting (rather than defamatory), then why waste police time and public funds to prove it, rather than pay any court expenses out of her own pocket?
Why would the “powers that be” send somebody due to leave the force in a matter of days to Singapore to investigate a death? Surely continuity and competence should have been a deciding factor……
Keep it up, Daphne – I love it!
Let them stew in their own juice.
They should ‘fry in their own oil’, as Andy Ellul’s sister said of Daphne on Facebook.
Mela kemm qeghdin ahwa dawn?
BRAVA Daphne, keep up the good work.
Robert Musumeci should resign from the PN; not because he is the magistrate’s partner, but because of his association with all these Labour wheels.
Kermit must be wondering about Miss Piggy’s virtue. Has Miss Piggy cheated on him yet? Will what goes round come around this time too?
Well, as long as Miss Piggy doesn’t go through the Mia Farrow/Woody Allen experience….
As if we are going to believe that the magistrate selected one from her circle of friends to go with her to Singapore, as we are told she did when she selected Mr. Musumeci as a court expert while she slept with him, a statement she did not find defamatory in court.
In any case, a question for public consumption is whether or what Mr. Musumeci knew about this trip with the (ex)policeman.
The circles are getting bigger – so big, they stretch from here to Singapore.
Daphne, I write to express solidarity with you – I understand you have to go through another ordeal today.
I also wish to underline that the decision given by the Court and obtained by you yesterday, which permitted your blog on the subject to continue, was an important constitutional achievement, achieved in this case by a Woman on Woman’s Day, and on 8 March, a date now of historic value to Malta.
The Court has clearly upheld freedom of expression, a fundamental human right. It is very unfortunate that the progressive moderates tried to suppress that right, and they still do on their media.
I really think that what we have here is a circle of people, all closely knit to each other (not using the chopsticks, this time), thinking that, by hiding the truth, which some of them are in the job of publishing, they will exert power, and if need be power through force – hence their resorting to the police.
Although I can understand those who say that the prime minister and the president in his role of chairman of the Commission for the Administration of Justice should do something about this case now, such as proceed with an impeachment of the magistrate, I believe that for the good of the country and justice, it is better that we have the truth revealed in a public process, in court, or as it is turning out, on this blog, given that the other media have lost their balls.
What we need however, is assurance that you are protected from aggression or abuse, that you are treated fairly and constitutionally at all times, and that once the circles have been revealed, action is seriously taken, not only by government and the Commission for the Administration of Justice, but also by all those who tell us they are democratic, progressive and moderate, to clean up the mess.
From “The Times”
“She said the photos had been taken from her daughter’s Facebook account”
Was it from Consie or her daughter’s account? Ansi, she didn’t say she never had a face book account.
[Daphne – From both.]
First, I would like to say I really admire what you are doing. Sticking to your guns and going up against the (twisted) judiciary takes guts.
Second, I’d like to say thank you. I always thought Consuelo was a man – going by the name in newspaper reports.
And third, is a genuine question.
How legal/illegal is copy/pasting a photo from someone’s facebook account onto a blog without their permission? When it’s for journalism, can one do that?
[Daphne – Yes. You can do it even if it’s NOT for journalism. Basically, if you don’t want people to capture your party photographs or email screen-shots of your bitching about other people on your Facebook wall, to the people you are bitching about, just don’t do it. If I had young children, for example, I would never be so seriously stupid as to upload reams of photographs of them on Facebook.]
If I were the magistrate, I’d be more pissed off about that than about the things said about me. Especially if they were true!
Will these Herrera ‘comedies’ ever stop? Unbelievable – I feel as though I’ve been living on another planet!
Never imagined people could have such cheek – Catholic school upbringing ukoll!
Bringing up children is the parent’s responsibility not the school’s. Even Daphne was educated in a Catholic school; the difference is that she was brought up by responsible parents.
Tajba din ‘Last few days in the Police force’ u il-poplu ihallas.
THIS is what should be investigated by the police and not what you are bringing out.
Unbelievable story of power and corruption! Why did it have to be you, Daphne, to expose it? From what I have read till now, both the police and the courts had enough glaring facts to check her, reprimand her, subdue her and even relieve her of judicial duties.
Your whole investigation not only exposes Consuelo and her friends, but also the weakness of our institutions. Shame on them and well done to YOU!
When normal people are facing ‘extraordinary’ problems in their life, they do take long leave of absence from work (sometimes unpaid leave). They will be able to dedicate their energies to deal with the particular problem, be it sickness or otherwise. And here is where the institutions come in. The chief justice should relieve the magistrate of her duties until this business is concluded. To do her job properly she needs serenity and she doesn’t have that at the moment. When this whole saga is settled she can either go back to work or resign.
“She can either go back to work or resign”.
Are you serious? If there are grounds for resignation, ‘going back to work’, as you put it, is not an option.
I know she should resign now but I believe that things have to run their course before we can talk of impeachment or resignation.
The magistrate can relieve herself of her own duties by resigning.
It will be a relief for everyone else too.
Keep it up, Daphne!
Il-barriera tal-Mqabba li waqat: issa Robert iz-zattat qed jaghmila ta’ geologista.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100309/local/quarry-collapsed-due-to-natural-and-man-made-factors-architect
Issa jkellmu JPO.
Perhaps she needed his forensic expertise.
Daphne,
During this saga, you have proved to be iron-fisted, honest, very intelligent, and what more, you have attracted the greatest admiration of honest citizens including members of the judiciary. What you’re doing will be written in the annals of Maltese history and for that we should be very grateful.
@Lino, never have truer words been said but hey, where is everybody, meaning the authorities, the Commission, the Institute etc etc? Sad to say, we have a load of cowardly wan—s up there.
Daphne, please know we are totally behind you.
Fejn hu il-geologista tal-progett ta’ San Gwann? Tghid jaqbel mal-perit/geologista/restawratur u espert tal-MEPA Robert Musumeci? (Nispera ma hallejtx barra xi specjalizzazzjoni ohra ta’ Robert.)
I guess all this story hype is to raise your public viewer’s base…. if it’s for that, brilliant… excellent marketing strategy.
However, There are much bigger problems in Malta at the moment and in the world, such as global warming, a questionable PowerStation development which will increase our co2 emissions… while by 2012 we should reduce our emissions… and you are wasting YOUR TALENT (really skilled in journalism) and time on such scum news…
but unfortunately I guess everything has a price in Malta…… see Maltastar… now you
I thought you were an independent columnist, I guess I was
wrong…. I hope to be wrong really…
Really pathetic to be honest…. I occasionally view your blog but lately… it is just all about personal attacks and fights… as if everyone is a saint…. Come on…. There is a butt load of corruption going around with a democratic system to be nothing than compared to a dictatorship really…. FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE SPECTRUM REALLY…..
Refocus please…. really there are more important matters…
Sincerely awaiting your reply,
n
Dear N, why not set up your own blog, and let us know your link so that we can log onto it? You can then tell us all about the corruption you allege. Don’t worry, we will not defend any corruption that is revealed.
But maybe there are Maltastar and Malta Today already doing that, so what is your concern really?
As for a dictatorship, we have an elected government and not an unelected one as in 1981. But let us not go back. Joseph Muscat told us that the best years are yet to com. Can you believe that when you see how people in his party are (mis)behaving?
I think your complaints should be addressed to Maltastar, MaltaToday and One, and you could add it-Torca, Illum, and why not, the Institute of Gurnalisti Mal…mal-Laburisti.
n, for someone who only occasionally views this blog and finds it to be really pathetic, you have a lot to say about it. Daphne will conquer more battles in the order she chooses, and if you don’t like her methods then start your own blog.
Then again, maybe you could go and seek solace in a Nutella jar.
I meant to address that to “n”
If you think or believe that global warming is a real problem and not a political one created by Al Gore to get his Nobel prize, then you are living in dreamland. http://mondexplor.blogspot.com/2008/12/al-gore-attaqu-en-justice-par-30-000.html
http://www.iberica2000.org/Es/Articulo.asp?Id=3814
Stephen Forster says:
Tuesday, 9 March at 0930hrs
“Why would the “powers that be” send somebody due to leave the force in a matter of days to Singapore to investigate a death? Surely continuity and competence should have been a deciding factor.”
Termination leave ghandek sitt xhur imma l-ewwel tlett xhur biss int tista tilbes l-uniformi jew tahdem ta’ pulizija. Kif jibdew it-tlett xhur l-ohra there is no turning back u fil-fatt trid tiehu l-uniformi u l-kit kollu inkluz l-Police ID card il-GHQ l-Floriana.
Dawk l-ahhar tlett xhur int tkun pulizija ghan-numru u zgur mhux se jqabduk taghmel xoghol ta’ pulizija f’dawk l-ahhar tlett xhur. Jekk trid tista tibda tahdem post iehor. Iktar nahseb li telgha bhala espert tal-qorti imqabbad mill-magistrat ta l-ghassa. Hawnhekk ghadna jackpot.
@n
but come on – really really.
Did this guy really go all the way to Singapore at my expense on the last few days of his termination leave? If this is so, where are the Commissioner of Police and the Home Affairs Minister – is it really THAT bad?
@n
The public viewers’ base was raised because the story in question regards transparency of our judicial system. Other issues, I agree, are important, but to regard this story as an alienating issue speaks very much about your assessment of priorities.
Dear Daphne
Show “n” that what you’re doing you’re doing for the development of the country.
Verify with the Consul of Malta in Singapore what happened on the Malta-registered vessel there, and why it was not he, the Consul (that is the official charged with such function), who carried out the inquiry.
If it transpires that Malta wants its own magistrates to go round the world conducting inquiries when it has a consular network, then the Foreign Affairs Minister will have to justify this shameful wastage of public funds.
Countries have consular networks to avoid sending their home officials round the world, thereby saving money. Why is Malta different?
Hi n,
I don’t know what to make of your post. Are you against improving Malta’s electrical power generation because of CO2 ?
Here’s a humourous clip from the comical genius, George Carlin, entitled, “Saving the Planet” ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eScDfYzMEEw )
Now you know how I feel.
Daphne, if you have a free moment, drop me an email.
“It appears that his trip to Singapore with Consuelo Herrera took place in the last few days of that termination leave, making him still officially on the police pay-roll.”
On the payroll yes. But isn’t termination leave just that: i.e. he was on leave when he went to Singapore?
Why six months termination leave? As far as I know state employees are allowed three months and not six. Perhaps somebody will clear this up.
n,
I tend to agree with you that I prefer to read Daphne’s opinions on much more important issues. Her biweekly columns in The Malta Independent are always insightful.
Nevertheless, there are times in life when we, let alone a good journalist, have to take a stand even if those words we utter will ruffle some important feathers. That is the beauty of a democratic system.
To flourish, democracy needs investigative journalists to tell us what is going on behind the scenes. Democracy doesn’t just mean having the right to vote in office politicians to represent us.
You must admit, whatever the outcome of this saga, people look at the members of the judiciary a lot differently now.
Really it is a pity that it had to be you to unearth all this dirt. Where are the papers that usually engulf themselves in such stories? It is amazing how quick this time the police and our courts were when we have cases going back years, which are still on the list. Why are the PN’s media not giving any prominence to all these abuses? Imagine if it was the other way round.