This kills the last shred of doubt that it was the government which leaked that ‘staged’ call
Did anyone have the slightest shred of doubt about how it was the government which leaked that staged ‘warning shots’ call to The Sunday Times and Malta Today, in the hope that the Police Commissioner would be blamed for using the words ‘warning shots’ first?
(And Malta Today duly obliged.)
Well, let that last shred of doubt is dispelled by the fact that Ramona Attard is pushing and promoting Times of Malta’s story – based on her leak – on Facebook.
These people have no wits.
Ramona Attard, you will recall, is Manuel Mallia’s communications officer and a close friend of the prime minister’s spokesman, Kurt Farrugia. They had called the police when they thought it was Norman Vella, then working in immigration at the airport, who had told this website they’d been seen boarding a plane together (it was actually a fellow passenger).
14 Comments Comment
Leave a Comment
Why does he say ‘startjhieli naqra ghax fija l-bullets’? Can’t figure it out.
Besides the fact that the perpetrator is telling the police what to do with evidence.
Does this mean that the Prime Minister of the republic is part of the cover-up team?
And so did that other moron Nestor Laiviera, who as you all know left Salvu Balzan’s “newsroom” to head Profssssssss Scicluna’s communications office.
He spends his time putting up inane posts filled with hashtags on his own Facebook account.
And yesterday he had the chutzpah to write “The truth will out” with the same story.
I think that the video clips published in the last 2 days show enough evidence which confirms that, at the very least, the Minister should have known what had happened between Gzira and the Regional Road tunnels on 19 November before the issue of the DOI’s press release.
And that’s before taking into account Sheehan’s claim that the Minister was with him in the car.
My argument is based on the fact that the command at the Police HQ had been informed about the exact nature of the shootings – and there were even recordings which the Minister could consult – and therefore the Minister should have had the appropriate structure and mechanisms in place to get the truth.
Besides, the Minister had free access to the internet media which were giving the true picture in real time, so all he had to do was to challenge and ask for support (through recordings, or from different officers, for instance) of any different account which the police may have given him.
The public inquiry of the three Judges Emeriti has no option but to conclude that Minister Don Manwel Mallia has a responsibility for the cover-up that followed the incident.
Joseph Muscat might now proceed with the removal of Don Manwel. But wasn’t this political action evident already from the facts as published by the independent media from the 19 November onwards?
In the same way that the publicly available evidence shows that Manwel Mallia is responsible for the failures, the same evidence shows that Kurt Farrugia and his boss were also responsible for exactly the same mistakes.
Muscat better be careful, Mallia’s getting out of the mess, ever so slowly.
All they’re doing is pass it on to the OPM. If, by their logic, the commissioner was game to mislead, he did so, with Kurt Farrugia on the line.
Busuttil asked how come it was the OPM to issue the statement and not the police.
Farrugia says he’ll resign immediately, the commissioner’s not available for comment.
That leaves Muscat with Mallia on the front bench, five in the parliamentary group saying he should go, and a Labour Party back in vintage form.
It will be certainty Muscat prefers showing himself dependent on Mallia than doing without him. Good.
It would be appropriate if Malta Today would issue an apology as soon as possible.
Malta Today is an irrelevant newspaper at this point – it is as good as dead.
Times of Malta is trying to be relevant, but quite often shoots itself in the foot by being the medium of choice for the government’s leaks, lies and propaganda. Its credibility is in the pits.
Has Times of Malta pulled the sotry? The link appears to be broken:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141208/local/Zammit-suggested-warning-shots-.547311
maltarightnow the best
The prime minister perverting the course of justice. What’s next?
If you had many miles on the clock like I have, you would realize that this is just the beginning. The worst is yet to come.
I have listened (over and over again) to the recording of this phone call via the One TV post on Youtube (see below).
The Commissioner’s ‘warning shots’ dictated inexplicably to the PM’s spokesman is being used to absolve the latter of responsibility, and shift it to the Commissioner.
But there are a number of incongruities. Before saying it, the Commissioner spoke about ‘tah zewg tiri’. Then he makes up the ‘warning shots’ and the PM’s spokesman does not query the apparent contradiction. Strange to say the least – especially if you listen closely between second 18 and second 20 of the clip, just before the phrase ‘warning shots’. There seems to be a ‘T’ there which is not explained by the subsequent phrase, but would fit with ‘Tiri’.
There are also what sounds to me like two clicks again just before the key phrase. Maybe some audio expert should have a close look, or rather close listen. I’m sure that there is software which could confirm or otherwise what I’m getting at.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqySuNqw0VQ
I bet my last 2 cents that this leak followed the same or similar path as the leaks relating to the oil scandal before the last general election. Was Mallia involved in both leaks?