Iosif Galea inquiry: Two officials responsible for ‘administrative deficiencies’
A police complaints board found that top police officers, including police commissioner Angelo Gafa, were unaware of a German request for a European arrest warrant for gambling consultant Iosif Galea.
The board also found that two officials were nevertheless responsible for administrative deficiencies which meant that the German request was not heeded.
The conclusion was made public in a statement from the Maltese police which included a short excerpt from the report from the Independent Commission for Police Complaints led by retired Judge Franco Depasquale.
The board determined that there was no interference from Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà or the top brass so that the EAW was not executed. But the administrative deficiencies identified by the complaints board, led to the MAE’s request being ignored or not executed by the responsible officers.
The board of inquiry determined that there were serious failings on the part of certain police officers, but also pointed to systemic issues within the force when it comes to oversight and monitoring.
According to the report, Gafà and other higher officers within the body were not even aware of the MAE issued against Iosif Galea on 28 May 2021.
“It is the view of the Board that there needs to be some form of system through which each case must be monitored until it is brought to court, or a reason must be given why it is not continued.”
The board of inquiry determined that Gafa was not trying to cover up Galea’s behaviour. Indeed, Gafa testified to the board that he had left a memo in 2013, before going to the Security Services, to look after Galea for misuse of the computer.
Gafa told the board that he took action last February after realizing that the case had been shelved for a long time.
The request for the investigation to the complaints board was brought by Gafa, on claims that he could have known about the EAW before Galea was allowed to go on holiday abroad, even though he was on police bail in Malta with connection with a trading in influence investigation. .
Galea was arrested in Italy last May on a German MAE related to a tax investigation. Earlier that week, the Maltese police had confirmed that they had also issued their own EAW for Galea’s arrest.
Italian newspapers had reported that Galea was arrested on the night of May 14-15 as he arrived at[alvaganzalikellujie[uf’CellinoSanMarco
Ingħad li Galea kien qed jingħaqad mas-sieħba tiegħu Maria Grech, assistenta ta’ Michelle Muscat, mart l-eks Prim Ministru Joseph Muscat, fil-Fondazzjoni Marigold.