Banana Republic Update: who’s going to be the ballistics expert in this inquiry?

Published: November 20, 2014 at 12:13pm
On left: one of the Police Minister's most notorious clients, the cocaine trafficker Meinrad Calleja, jailed for 15 years. On right: the court's ballistics expert, his father Maurice Calleja.

On left: one of the Police Minister’s most notorious clients, the cocaine trafficker Meinrad Calleja, jailed for 15 years. On right: the court’s ballistics expert, his father Maurice Calleja.

The man routinely used as ballistics expert in any inquiry involving guns and bullets is the octogenarian ex brigadier Maurice Calleja.

The Police Minister was defence counsel to his son Meinrad, the notorious cocaine trafficker who was jailed in Rome in the 1980s and then for 15 years at Corradino Prisons.

The Police Minister was also his defence counsel when he was tried for conspiracy to murder then prime minister Fenech Adami’s personal assistant.

There are major conflicts of interest going on here. It is already bad enough that the Police Minister is a long-time defence lawyer with a client list of Malta’s most nefarious criminals.

It is already difficult in terms of investigatory independence that a police inquiry is taking place into the actions of the Police Minister’s driver when the Police Minister has acquired a reputation for direct control in the police force.

The last thing we need is to compound the mess further with the introduction of the father of one of Manuel Mallia’s most notorious criminal clients into the mix.




26 Comments Comment

  1. curious says:

    We have an admission.

    ‘He admitted that the ministry said yesterday that the shots were fired in the air when they had actually hit the car, but otherwise stuck by the official version and he regretted efforts to give a version which was far from the truth.’

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141120/local/update-6-shooting-incident-ministerial-driver-suspended-from-escort-duties.544812

  2. ciccio says:

    What is the Communications Coconut doing at a press conference of the Minister for Escorts with Guns?

    Crisis management?

    http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-11-20/local-news/Minister-Mallia-police-chief-Zammit-and-government-head-of-communications-Farrugia-in-meeting-6736126033

  3. Mallia says:

    Attention anyone shopping at LIDL. Make sure you don’t hit Manuel Mallia’s trolley or Paul Sheehan (who pushes it) will shoot you.

  4. curious says:

    How many shots exactly were fired? It is ‘some shots’ now, not two or three. Stephen Smith had a second birthday yesterday.

    ‘The minister confirmed that some shots were fired at the Englishman’s car, which was hit twice.’

    http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-11-20/local-news/Minister-Mallia-police-chief-Zammit-and-government-head-of-communications-Farrugia-in-meeting-6736126033

  5. Alf says:

    If and when shall we be made aware of the inquiry’s findings?

    Also, according to Manuel Mallia “he was a security driver and this allowed him to carry a firearm while on duty”. BULLSHIT !!

  6. Lorry says:

    They tell us that it is against the law to text while driving, but shooting while driving seems fine.

  7. M says:

    ‘He admitted that the ministry said yesterday that the shots were fired in the air when they had actually hit the car, but otherwise stuck by the official version and he regretted efforts to give a version which was far from the truth.’

    Can the minsiter please state who had told the ministry that the shots were fired in the air and why the ministry decided to believe this person and publish this fact to the detriment of the other person involved?

    Can the ministry publish the initial statement of the policeman/driver involved.

    Can the minister cut the crap and state who made the efforts to give a version which was a lie?

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141119/local/update-6-shooting-incident-ministerial-driver-suspended-from-escort-duties.544812

    • Joseph Aquilina says:

      Manuel Mallia’s words “regretted efforts” imply that misinforming the public was intentional. I could be wrong but that is how it sounds to me.

    • Kelinu says:

      I was half expecting the Minister to say that the bullets bounced off a cloud and hit the car.

      • Josette says:

        Or that Stephen Smith just shot his own car to frame Paul Sheehan … Patetiku.

        Good thing Paul Sheehan wasn’t shooting at him (Mallia). He’s as big as a car but moves much more slowly.

  8. Jozef says:

    So, when does Stephen Smith get to give us his version?

  9. Xjim Purtani says:

    I am a floating voter and if these ‘buzulotti’ continue, I will vote PN in the general election after next, regardless of the economic success. Ten years should be enough for this government.

    [Daphne – And I am a reasonable, sane person who thinks you must have a very low IQ or otherwise need to get your head examined. Unless this comment is a joke.]

  10. Lorry says:

    It doesn’t take much to see how dangerous he was for other drivers and passers by. He could easily have hit another car while trying to get at his target.

  11. Mila says:

    Labour whose greatest achievement is image laundering.

    Its Calleja the lecturer now not Calleja the cocaine trafficker who spent 15 years in jail. Was he introduced to Prince William, too?

    Minister Mallia mentioned that his driver Sheehan was fined 30 euros for his crimes. He bandied the amount about as if to say look what a trivial crime it was, pffffffff, such a silly amount could only reflect a trivial crime.

  12. Mark Vella says:

    There is one very important question which nobody has asked: Was Manuel Mallia defence counsel to Paul Sheehan?

  13. Johannes says:

    Just a thought, but seeing that Malta is a Banana Republic, does that mean that Qormi will become the new capital city?

  14. Rupert says:

    The Prime Minister thinks he has a British sense of humour. It is such a pity he does not have a British sense of decency.

    A UK cabinet minister, Andrew Mitchell, resigned because he was accused of insulting a police officer. It turned out that he hadn’t even done so, and the policeman had lied.

    In Malta a Minister does not resign when his driver shoots at a car.

  15. ron says:

    New Labour ethics: issa l-gvern taghna u naghmlu li rridu.

    Niehdu dak li mhux taghna billi nappuntawk fuq bord anke jekk ma tifhimx hakka fuq dak li tkun appuntat; intuk promotion u pozizzjoni ghax jekk tkun tuba ghax in-Nazzjonalisti kienu ilhom 25 sena fil-gvern, naghtu l-kuntratti liltal-qalba b’direct order u fejn johrog it-tender, tinkwietax il-ministru jintervjenimghalik; u jekk idejquk spara ghal fuqhom.

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