Two foreign nationals recently provided testimony related to allegations against former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, which has surfaced as part of an ongoing inquiry into hospital operations.
They delivered their testimonies before Magistrate Gabriella Vella and the foreign experts she engaged, but notably, the Maltese Police were not present during this testimony. This situation was revealed through the testimony of Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà, in court proceedings initiated by Muscat, who claims his rights were infringed.
Former Inspector Anthony Scerri, involved with the hospital inquiry from April 2021 to June 2022, also testified. Responding to questions from Lawyer Vince Galea, Scerri detailed that in November 2021, he informed Magistrate Vella about a request from Repubblika to launch an investigation into Muscat.
The Magistrate responded that she was already aware of such a request. Magistrate Vella instructed Scerri to facilitate the arrival of two foreign individuals, Kamal Sharma and Tyrone Greenshields, to Malta for the purpose of testifying. Scerri tried to arrange this through Interpol but received no confirmation regarding their arrival or testimony.
It was eventually clarified through Commissioner Gafà’s testimony that Sharma and Greenshields indeed traveled to Malta in early 2022 and provided their testimonies. However, Magistrate Vella insisted on the presence of only foreign experts during these sessions, who, with her consent, facilitated an €11 million payment without involving the Maltese Police.
Kamal Sharma, during his testimony, alleged Muscat’s involvement, describing hearsay about Muscat’s supposed influence over another individual’s circumstances. Despite these claims lacking factual backing, the foreign experts reportedly included them in the inquiry’s evidence.
Additionally, former Inspector Scerri stated that Magistrate Vella directed the search of Muscat’s residence in January 2022. During these operations, while Maltese Police handled the sealing of collected evidence, they were not always informed by the foreign experts about their specific objectives.
Magistrate Vella provided the instructions to the experts, while Commissioner Gafà underscored that all police actions related to the hospital inquiry were coordinated with and approved by Magistrate Vella.
There were instances when the Police awaited directions from the Magistrate without receiving responses.
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Gabriella Vella wehied mis-swaba tal-qarnita nazzjonalista.