Times: Beyond divorce legislation

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110731/religion/Beyond-divorce-legislation.378117
Sunday, July 31, 2011, by Fr Joe Borg


The Curia in Floriana. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Less than two months after the absolute majority of Maltese voting in the referendum said aye to divorce, Parliament passed the law through all its stages. This haste is commendable, as the country needs to move on from the discussion about divorce to the reality of divorce.

No one proposed divorce as an ideal. It was proposed as a remedy for people whose marriage had broken down. It is the duty of government, civil society and the Church to face this reality by taking all the necessary measures so that the number of those having to recourse to divorce will be the least possible. This means the country should strive to have the least number of broken marriages.

It is very natural that in the first few years there will be a considerable (possibly a great) number of people seeking divorce. The backlog of people in broken relationships is quite substantial.

If concrete and concerted actions are not taken in earnest then more families will be broken and divorces will keep on increasing. This is one type of increase no one hopes for.

So instead of wasting time discussing ways of undermining the institution of marriage through the liberal agenda that is now pushing for the legalisation of gay marriages (a contradiction in terms if there ever was one) we should take concrete steps to strengthen the real institution of marriage. (Gay couples can have their rights safeguarded without calling their relationship a marriage.) We do not need platitudes but concrete actions.

Another potential alienation could be the move to amend the Church- State agreement on marriage. I had criticised a particular aspect on more than one occasion and am not against revisiting it. But let us be conscious of the fact that such discussions with the Vatican will take time.

It is better to spend energy on the most important and urgent task ahead: taking concrete policies to strengthen families.

The ministry responsible for the family has a key role to play and should be the government’s core ministry. Its budget should reflect government’s commitment to help problem families and marriages in difficulty.

Prevention is better than cure. Why not offer marriage preparation courses for those who opt for a civil marriage?

Will more family friendly measures be taken to guarantee a better family/work balance?

Many marriages break down due to socio-economic pressures. Such breakdown could be lessened.

The Church has been doing a lot for a very long time to help Maltese families. Will it now respond to the new scenario with the needed alacrity and effectiveness?

Two months after the referendum the Church has not even managed to set up a commission to conduct a post-mortem of the result and many are still in denial mode.

We were abysmally absent in the Parliamentary debate on divorce. In a clear abdication of duty, no Church group contributed anything to make the draft better than it was.

There’s a serious perception prob­lem about the workings of the Ecclesiastical tribunals. Deborah Schembri’s suspension seems inane now.

The Church’s budget should now give priority to the family on the diocesan and parish levels. The Church should invest, for example, in the Cana Movement’s activities as much as in the valid work done in the Ecclesiastical tribunals.

Can the family clinic model adopted in Gozo be evaluated to see if it can also be adopted in Malta?

The pro-family agenda is long.

[Click on the hyperlink above to view the comments on the Times' website.]

MaltaToday: Video | Cyrus Engerer on Cyrusgate [Pt.1]

http://maltatoday.com.mt/news/interview/video-cyrus-engerer-on-cyrusgate-pt-1

SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2011

In the first part of his interview Cyrus Engerer speaks with Saviour Balzan about the investigation he is facing, the media fallout stemming from the leak of his charges, and who knew of the allegations made against him.

[Click on the hyperlink above to view the comments on MaltaToday's website.]

Times: Muscat defends Cyrus Engerer: ‘Judge him on his track record’

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110731/local/Muscat-defends-Cyrus-Engerer-Judge-him-on-his-track-record-.378036
Sunday, July 31, 2011 , by Christian Peregin

Labour leader Joseph Muscat has downplayed the criminal case being faced by Cyrus Engerer as a personal issue on which the Sliema deputy mayor should not be solely judged.

Dr Muscat defended Mr Engerer from the start even as the extent of his charges became clearer. Mr Engerer is accused of e-mailing pornographic photos of his ex-boyfriend to his employer to spite him, after their acrimonious break-up.

“People are judged not on single personal decisions, including highly emotional situations such as these, but on their track record,” he told The Sunday Times.

Asked whether he would react in the same way as the Prime Minister if one of his ministers faced similar charges, he reiterated his position that this was a private matter which had nothing to do with politics.

“We think some issues are strictly in the private realm. In the past few years there were at least two clear instances where prominent members of the government and the Nationalist Party were involved in issues which we deemed were of a purely personal nature.

“We responsibly decided this is a red line which should not be crossed in Maltese politics, even though in one case there was an admission to criminal charges.”

Dr Muscat said he was saddened by the fact that Mr Engerer’s ex-boyfriend Marvic Camilleri was “exposed nationally” when this issue looked like it would have been solved amicably within the context of a renewed friendship.

On Friday, Mr Camilleri told The Times he and his employers wanted justice, even though he was willing to forgive Mr Engerer for what he had done.

Meanwhile, Dr Muscat said “far too many coincidences” had occurred since Mr Engerer exercised his freedom of expression to join Labour. Days after Mr Engerer resigned from the PN, the police arrested his father for marijuana possession. A few days later, police acted upon Mr Camilleri’s case and filed the charges against Cyrus Engerer.

Dr Muscat likened this case to the sudden prosecution of former Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Harry Vassallo on minor VAT filing offences on the eve of the last election. “A coincidence for sure,” he said, sarcastically.

“What still remains to be cleared in this case is the casual manner in which the Prime Minister is tackling the fact that his chief of staff phoned the Police Commissioner to ask him to do something that, according to the latter, he could not do. It would seem this was not a unique instance. This has exposed the Prime Minister’s mantra that his government does not interfere in police work as mere lip service.

“We condemn the fact that the Prime Minister has so far shunned our request for public inquiries to shed light on the actions of his chief of staff and the recent coincidences.”

Dr Muscat declined to answer whether Mr Engerer will remain a prospective candidate for the Labour Party in the next election.

Mr Engerer, however, seems to be feeling secure in his new party, writing on Facebook: “It has been a tough week, but I felt an overwhelming wave of support, for which I sincerely thank you. I realised through the difficulties and words of encouragement that there still is a lot to accomplish. Success is ours when we work together in determination.”

He also spoke positively about the Labour Party’s summer barbecue, where he said he met “many friends, all working to bring the much needed change to the country”.

In a statement yesterday, the PN accused Dr Muscat of “playing dangerous games with democracy” after painting himself into a tight corner in Mr Engerer’s case.

The PN admonished Dr Muscat for attacking retired judge Albert Manché who has an “unblemished reputation for honesty and integrity” and for suggesting Labour should have a representative on the inquiry board of a case that involves one of his candidates.

[Click on the hyperlink above to view the comments on the Times' website.]

Times: President signs divorce bill - set to become law today

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110729/local/president-signs-divorce-bill-set-to-become-law-today.377893
Friday, July 29, 2011, 10:40

President George Abela has signed the Divorce Bill and it is due to be published in the Government Gazette today, thus becoming law.

The law is expected to become effective on October 1, giving the government time to set up the administrative mechanism needed for people to be able to apply for divorce.

The House of Representatives approved the Bill by a large majority on Monday.

The Bill had been presented as a private member's motion by Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando in July last year. It was subsequently co-sponsored by Labour MP Evarist Bartolo.

A referendum in May approved the introduction on divorce based on the no-fault concept. Estranged couples must be separated for four of the preceding five years in order to be eligible for divorce, and provision has to be made for the care of the children. Arrangements made in separation contracts are not affected.


[Click on the hyperlink above to view the comments on the Times' website.]

MaltaToday: President George Abela signs divorce bill

http://maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/president-george-abela-signs-divorce-bill
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2011 By KARL STAGNO-NAVARRA

President George Abela has signed the Divorce Bill

Divorce in Malta has become law today, following its publication in the Government Gazzette after President GeorgeAbela formally signed the bill.

Coming into force on October 1, the bill was voted in Parliament by a vast majority after long hours of debate from both sides of the House, that also put forward and approved a number of amendments.

The bill - originally submitted by Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando on July 1, 2010 – soon became known as the Pullicino Orlando-Bartolo bill after it was co-sponsored by Labour MP Evarist Bartolo.

The bill brought division within the PN that also took a stand against the introduction of divorce in Malta, while Prime Minister and party leader Lawrence Gonzi declared himself against, and even voted against the bill throughout all its stages in Parliament.

On May 28, 53% of the Maltese electorate voted in favour of the introduction of divorce in Malta.

[Click on the hyperlink above to view the comments on MaltaToday's website.]

Times: Ex-boyfriend forgives Engerer but still wants justice to be done

Drops his lawyers over their connection to politics

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110729/local/ex-boyfriend-forgives-engerer-but-still-wants-justice-to-be-done.377886
Friday, July 29, 2011 , by Christian Peregin

[The alleged victim in the police case against Sliema deputy mayor Cyrus Engerer says he is willing to forgive him but still wants justice to " run its course".]

Marvic Camilleri admits he went through phases after reporting Cyrus Engerer to the police, sometimes wanting to press charges and sometimes wanting the case to end as soon as possible." It's not only me who wants justice. It's also my employers and colleagues. Our right to privacy was invaded," Marvic Camilleri said.

This is the first time he has spoken out since Tuesday, when The Times reported that Mr Engerer was being charged with distribution of obscene images, computer misuse and the vilification of Mr Camilleri.

Mr Camilleri filed a police report in January 2010 after nude images of him were stolen from his computer and circulated via e-mail to his employers and friends, and he suspected this was the vindictive work of his former boyfriend, Mr Engerer.

After a police investigation involving the Cyber Crime Unit, the police filed charges against Mr Engerer on Monday. Mr Engerer is insisting that whoever leaked the charges wanted to tarnish his reputation. After the item on the charges against Mr Engerer appeared, Mr Camilleri appointed Andy Ellul and Vince Micallef as legal counsel and, in his presence, they told The Times he was willing to drop the charges.

But yesterday Mr Camilleri decided to dismiss his lawyers, primarily because of their connection to the Labour Party after the case became too politicised. Although they told him they were active members of the party and he initially overlooked this he eventually realised it could become a problem, he said.

The way the case has developed, he said, made their political connection " odd".

The PL has claimed there was an orchestrated effort to get back at Mr Engerer because of his defection from the Nationalist Party earlier this month. " Anyway, I'm only a witness in this case. I don't need a lawyer," he said.

Originally, Mr Camilleri had sought the advice of his lawyer friend Marion Camilleri but she directed him to the other lawyers because she had worked for the Sliema local council and thought there could be a conflict of interest.

Mr Camilleri confirmed what Police Commissioner John Rizzo said on Tuesday, that he never formally told the police to drop the charges.

"I had called the Cyber Crime Unit some months ago to see what I would need to do to drop the charges.

"They said I would have to inform the Valletta police station. I never got down to doing it. It's not that I had changed my mind, it was just something that I never did.

"When something like this happens, part of you wants justice and part of you wants the case to end as soon as possible, so you go through phases."

Mr Camilleri had in the past been involved in the PN but has no active role in the party today.

Clarification: Marvic Camilleri appointed lawyers Andy Ellul and Vince Micallef this week (on Tuesday) when the story about the case was published in The Times. Mr Camilleri filed the police report in January 2010 without the assistance of any lawyers.

[Click on the hyperlink above to view the comments on the Times' website.]

Times: Activists fume after Italy rejects anti-homophobia bill

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110726/world/activists-fume-after-italy-rejects-anti-homophobia-bill.377457

Tuesday, July 26, 2011, 22:13

Italian gay rights activists have slammed as "outrageous" parliament's rejection of a bill that sought to combat homophobic attacks, and called on the European Union to intervene.

"This parliament has betrayed justice and civility and has decided to support the violent," said Paolo Patane, head of gay rights association Arcigay.

He called on the EU "to help us face this extremely dangerous rise in homophobia, xenophobia and racism that the Italian parliament has decided to legitimise."
Italy's chamber of deputies voted for a second time on the bill, which gay and lesbian activists said was urgently needed given a rise in the number of homophobic attacks throughout predominantly Roman Catholic Italy.

The bill, supported by the centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD), specified "homophobia aggravation" as a crime, while seeking to allow police to act more firmly and encourage victims to report abuse more easily.

"Most of parliament chose today to side with the violent and not with victims of violence and discrimination," said PD member Anna Paola Concia, who had fought to get the bill approved after a failed first attempt in 2009.

Ruling party lawmaker Fabrizio Cicchitto defended the governing coalition's decision and denied accusations of anti-gay sentiment, insisting that "our position is to consider gays as citizens who are the same as everyone else."

"It is for that reason that we challenge legislation singling out individuals as different under the law ... which is essentially unconstitutional," he said.
But left-wing politicians and gay rights campaigners described the move as a "shameful" act by "anti-gay parties who ditch a useful measure for fighting discrimination and make themselves ridiculous in Europe's eyes."

Italy is one of the few European states that lacks specific legislation against homophobic violence and has no provision for gay civil unions.

[Click on the hyperlink above to view the comments on the Times' website.]

Times: Cyrus Engerer case: Commissioner insists police acted correctly - Minister orders inquiry

Cyrus Engerer asked for his case to be concluded quickly - Court proceedings to go ahead

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110726/local/police-commissioner-insists-police-actions-not-politically-motivated.377453
Tuesday, July 26, 2011, 16:30

[Click here to watch the video of the Police Commissioner explaining the case.]

The Home Affairs Ministry has appointed Judge Albert Manche to chair an inquiry to establish whether the police had acted correctly in cases related to Sliema deputy mayor Cyrus Engerer and his father Chris.

The inquiry was requested by Police Commissioner John Rizzo earlier today.
In a letter to Judge Manche, minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici said the board should establish whether there had been any negligence, non-observance of procedures, abuse of authority by officials of the police force or others involved in both cases, or external pressure.

The board should go into every ancillary and relevant aspect and make recommendations in line with its conclusions.

Earlier, Mr Rizzo insisted that the police had acted normally with regard to cases involving Cyrus Engerer and his father Chris and investigations were in no way motivated by political considerations.

There was a storm of protest during the day after The Times revealed that Cyrus Engerer, who crossed from the PN to the PL a few days ago, is to be taken to court to face charges of keeping and/or circulating pornography and computer misuse. He will also be charged with vilifying Marvic Camilleri, a former employee of the Nationalist Party and a former member of the PN youth movement (MŻPN).

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Rizzo said the police did not act in the interest of any political party.

He said the police received information related to drugs on July 6 and subsequently carried out a search on Chris Engerer, who was at the time smoking a joint, and found him carrying 5gms of the drug, which is enough to make 10 joints.

The police also searched his house on June 21 and the beach club he managed. At his house, they found a cannabis crusher and smoking paper.

At that time Mr Engerer claimed the search was motivated by Cyrus's defection to the PL.

Mr Engerer was arrested, interviewed and released, as was normal procedure. The case is continuing.

Mr Rizzo said it was an insult to the police and it hurt him personally when people claimed that the police were politically motivated. They had acted only on the basis of information received about drug abuse, Mr Rizzo said. This was information which they simply could not ignore.

Mr Rizzo said he did not think that the informant was politically motivated. It was more likely that it was related to the drug business.

He said that while Chris Engerer was already known to the police with regards to drug investigations, Cyrus Engerer had nothing to do with the case involving his father.

CYRUS ENGERER

On Cyrus Engerer, Mr Rizzo said he only learnt of the case and the investigations yesterday. He said that on January 15, 2010 a report had been made by Marvic Camilleri to the police cyber crime unit alleging that someone was circulating pictures of him in sexual acts with other persons. It was alleged that this pictures were being accessed from his computer and e-mailed by Cyrus Engerer.

The police launched an investigation. This involved a lot of work and results were achieved by the cyber crime unit.

But because of a number of factors, including that Mr Engerer was abroad for quite a long time and that the police were involved in other investigations, the police could not interview him before June 23.

On July 9, Mr Engerer himself asked for investigations to be concluded as quickly as possible. The police inspector was also told by Mr Engerer's lawyers to take the case to court as soon as possible.

The inspector consulted his superiors and yesterday charges were filed in court.
Mr Rizzo said Inspector Grech was insisting that he never passed a copy of the charge sheet to any Times journalist. Indeed, once the charge sheet was filed in court, it was public information. Therefore he could not understand how the police were accused of leaking information.

Mr Rizzo said he would request the government to conduct an inquiry to establish whether the police had acted correctly in these cases.

The Commissioner said that the police would continue the court proceedings ex-officio, despite reports - which had not been made to the police yet - that Mr Camilleri wants the charges to be dropped.

Mr Rizzo said that while there were coincidences between the police investigations and other events, it would be a very sad day if the police were deviated from their investigations into allegations of crime. God forbid that investigators would consider anything other than the cases before them, he said.

PHONE CALL FROM EDGAR GALEA CURMI

Asked whether he had received a phone call from Edgar Galea Curmi (from the secretariat of the Prime Minister) Mr Rizzo said he could confirm the phone call was made on July 21 to enquire about the Chris Engerer case, but he did not have details at the time. Cyrus was near Mr Galea Curmi when the phone call was being made.
Mr Galea Curmi told him that Mr Engerer's lawyer was claiming that the investigation was motivated by the fact that his son had moved to the PL. Mr Rizzo told Mr Galea Curmi this was not the case and Mr Galea Curmi asked him to explain this to his lawyer.

But Mr Rizzo said he did not as he felt he did not owe Mr Engerer's lawyer any investigation.

Mr Rizzo said he only learnt of the Cyrus Engerer case yesterday, and received no phone calls about it.

The Home Affairs Ministry only asked if there was an investigation involving Cyrus Engerer through an SMS but there was no political involvement in the investigation.
Mr Rizzo said he gave his best to the police corps - even to the detriment of his health - and he was personally insulted whenever anybody imputed that he was led or directed by Castille or by anyone else. He never was, and would not tolerate anyone being so directed, Mr Rizzo stressed.

"We do not choose the dates when we conduct our investigations. We are not happy about the coincidences, but we have no control over them," Mr Rizzo said, adding that he was considering libel action against MaltaToday.
OPM DENIAL

Meanwhile, the Office of the Prime Minister strongly denied a claim that it had leaked any information about the charges against Cyrus Engerer to the media.
It said that such a claim, made on MaltaToday was "a blatant lie" and "completely unfounded."

The OPM said it was not even in possession of such information.

[Click on the hyperlink above to view the comments on the Times' website.]

COE: Clear laws needed to protect trans persons from discrimination and hatred

http://commissioner.cws.coe.int/tiki-view_blog_post.php?postId=160

Council of Europe (COE) Human Rights Commissioner

Posted on 2011-07-26 09:15

Trans persons face severe discrimination in many areas of life, not least in employment, education, health care and leisure activities. Bullying at school is common-place. Surveys have demonstrated that about half of trans persons hide their gender identity at work for fear of losing their job. Forty-one transphobic murders have been reported in Europe since 2008.

Newborns are recorded as a boy or a girl and this distinction becomes a legal and social fact from then on. What is characteristic for trans persons is that they experience problems in identifying with the sex assigned at birth. It does not correspond with their deeply felt individual experience of gender; their gender identity.

Gender identity includes the personal sense of the body and other expressions such as dress, speech and mannerisms. Trans persons often present themselves differently from the expectations of the male or female gender role given to them at birth. They may choose to undergo hormone treatment and surgery to modify their body appearance to reassign their gender.

Today trans persons often lack specific protection against discrimination based on gender identity – protection that has proven to be urgently needed.

Transphobic prejudice and hatred

A report published recently by my Office demonstrates that attitudes towards trans persons show ignorance, prejudice and even hatred. The fact that "transsexualism" and "gender identity disorder" are often found in medical classifications for mental illness can stigmatise trans persons and restrict their decisions in the choice of treatment.

At worst, trans persons are victims of violent hate crime. A trans murder monitoring project carried out by Transgender Europe has reported 41 transphobic murders taking place in European countries since 2008. The countries concerned are Albania, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Serbia, Turkey, and United Kingdom.

Yet transphobia is rarely addressed specifically in national penal codes. In fact, only Sweden and Scotland explicitly cover transphobic hate crime in criminal law. While more general provisions found in some countries about incitement to hatred may be applied in such cases, this is not enough.

Discrimination based on gender identity

All human rights should apply equally to everyone regardless of gender identity.
Yet, gender identity is not always clearly identified as a prohibited ground of discrimination. International human rights treaties do not usually refer to gender identity specifically.

International law is however interpreted by courts and human rights monitoring bodies to include gender identity as a ground of discrimination. This year's Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence became the first human rights treaty which refers to gender identity explicitly. The EU has also applied directives on equality between men and women to provide some protection to trans persons.

At the national level, only nine Council of Europe member states have included gender identity explicitly in their non-discrimination legislation: Albania, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Montenegro, Serbia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Even in these countries, the terminology used varies which may limit the scope of protection. Eleven other member states apply equality law between men and women in line with EU practice. In the remaining 27 member states the coverage of trans persons under equal treatment legislation is unclear.

Reform legislation and monitor progress

Too often politicians and policy makers have ignored the human rights of trans persons when drafting legislation and designing public policies. There is a need to close this gap and start serious reforms and initiate social change. National non-discrimination legislation should specifically include gender identity as a prohibited ground of discrimination. Transphobic hatred should be recognised as a possible motive for bias-motivated crime and hate speech.

National and international medical classifications should also be reviewed to eliminate any stigmatisation or obstacles trans persons may face in accessing the treatment they need and making choices regarding care. The current revision process of the WHO International Classification of Diseases provides a timely opportunity for doing so.

National and international monitoring is needed to measure progress. National equality bodies and Ombudspersons should have a clear mandate to promote the human rights of trans persons. Change is only possible if European governments show a more genuine political will to address this problem, and much more determination to fight prejudice and discrimination.

Thomas Hammarberg

Human Rights Commissioner

MaltaToday: 'Edgar Galea Curmi asked me to do something I couldn't' - John Rizzo. MaltaToday, 'we will not be intimidated'

http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/edgar-galea-curmi-asked-me-to-do-something-i-couldn-t-john-rizzo
TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2011

Edgar Galea Curmi (C) flanked by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi (L) and Gordon Pisani, (R) during a visit to Latvia last year

MaltaToday responds to Edgar Galea Curmi's libel threat and says that "it is not in this paper's character to bow down to intimidation". Police Commissioner John Rizzo admits to receiving a phone call from Castille the day after he got to know about Cyrus Engerer's father's arrest.

Commissioner of Police John Rizzo has called on government to launch an inquiry into the way the police force has handled the criminal cases related to Cyrus Engerer and his father Chris over the past weeks.

Engerer, a PN councillor who recently defected to Labour, is being charged with holding explicit pictures in his PC - a day after his father Chris was arrested over possession of 5g of cannabis.

John Rizzo admitted to having received a phone call from Edgar Galea Curmi - the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff - the day after Cyrus Engerer's father was arrested over possession. According to Rizzo, Galea Curmi called asking about the Chris Engerer case.

Rizzo said he did not know how Galea Curmi had come to know of the arrest, but understood that Cyrus Engerer was next to him while he was making the call.

Rizzo said that Galea Curmi told him that Chris Engerer's lawyers were calling the police investigation being politically motivated and asked the Commissioner to meet up with the lawyers to explain the investigation.

"He asked me to do something which I couldn't do," Rizzo said. "I told him that one day or another the truth would come out in court, and I didn't need to explain anything to the lawyers. God forbid the police would have to work in this way ..."

At the same time that the Commissioner was holding his press conference, the Office of the Prime Minister issued a statement to deny allegations of "fingers being pointed towards Castille".

The statement was also addressed to MaltaToday: "The Office of the Prime Minister categorically denies being in possession of, and passing on, any such information to any media house.'

Chris Engerer's arrest

John Rizzo has insisted that it was unfair to accuse him of being "led by Castille" in the investigations and defended his integrity by stating that throughout his long career, he was never "politically motivated".

John Rizzo said that the Cyrus Engerer charges had "absolutely nothing" to do with his father's arrest, and added that although Chris Engerer was known to the police this was part of the police drug squad's priorities.

The police chief revealed that an informant had called Assistant Commissioner Neil Harrison on July 6, who in turn followed up the case. Rizzo said a search warrant was then issued in respect of Chris Engerer, who was later found to be in possession of five grammes of marijuana.

When asked by journalists why the police had acted now on Chris Engerer and not before given that they knew about him, Commissioner Rizzo was evasive and repeated that the force has "priorities to investigate." Rizzo had said that Chris Engerer was not a new name with the police force.

The Police Commissioner said he felt personally 'insulted' that allegations were being levelled at his integrity and towards his officers.

Cyrus Engerer's charges

With regards to charges being brought against Cyrus Engerer, almost two years from when they had been lodged by his former boyfriend, John Rizzo said that this was a Cyber Crime Unit investigation over a report by Marvic Camilleri.

Camilleri - he said - reported that explicit pictures of him were being circulated by email and the investigation took long because Cyrus Engerer was working abroad and could not be reached for interrogation. Rizzo also added that investigations by the Cyber Crime Unit take time.

Police Inspector Grech, of the Valletta police station, was responsible of the case as Camilleri had filed his report there. Rizzo, said the investigation continued on June 23. Reportedly, Engerer approached Inspector Grech to have his case sped up and brought before the courts.

The police inspector has meanwhile denied forwarding a copy of the charges to the media as they were presented to court yesterday.

PM’s Chief of Staff replies

In a statement issued through the Department of Information, Edgar Galea Curmi – the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff – admitted to phoning the Commissioner of Police when in the company of Cyrus Engerer, and discussed Chris Engerer’s arrest.

Galea Curmi also admitted to being Cyrus Engerer’s godfather at confirmation. He also admitted to asking the Commissioner to meet with Chris Engerer’s lawyer Carlo Bisazza.

The statement

“On Friday 22 July late morning I received a phone call from Cyrus Engerer. I took the phone calland promised Cyrus to phone him back as I was in a meeting. I phoned Cyrus back around 1330 and, while speaking on the phone, I bumped into him outside the Xara Palace Hotel in Mdina.

Cyrus told me that he was speaking to me as a friend because his father had been arrested. This was the first time I got to know about Chris Engerer’s arrest. Cyrus told me that his father’s lawyer, Dr. Carlo Bisazza, had told him that “he was to expect such incidents now that he had taken the plunge and resigned from PN. I told him that I was only hearing about this incident from him and immediately phoned the Commissioner of Police, in front of Cyrus and in a way that he could hear every single detail of the phone call.

The Commissioner of Police stated to me that report on Cyrus’s father had been filed before Cyrus’s resignation from PN. I explained to the Commissioner of Police what Cyrus had said that Dr. Bizazza had told him. The Commissioner of Police categorically denied any relationship whatsoever between Cyrus’s resignation from PN and the arrest of Cyrus’s father. I asked the Commissioner of Police to meet Dr. Bizazza and explain to him the facts. I understand that the Commissioner of Police decided not to follow my request to meet Dr. Bizazza and I respect his decision.

All the above can be testified by the Commissioner of Police and Cyrus himself.

On a personal level, I am Cyrus’s Confirmation godfather and care a lot for Cyrus and his family. I am deeply upset by the way certain elements in the media are manipulating two unfortunate incidents of people I deeply care for with the sole aim of defaming the Prime Minister and the people around him. As a result of these malicious stories, I have instructed my lawyer to institute libel proceedings against MaltaToday.”

MaltaToday: 'We will not bow down to intimidation'

In a statement, MaltaToday replied to Edgar Galea Curmi and said that it will continue to report the truth about everything that is in the public interest. "It is not in MaltaToday's character to bow its head down to intimidation by libel, and we promise our thousands of readers that we will continue to bring forward any information that is in the public interest."

[Click on the hyperlink above to view the comments on MaltaToday's website.]