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Julian Manduca
A Gozitan businessman selected to take over Fort Chambray by government was shielded by disgraced former Police Commissioner George Grech according to a former Police Inspector who was giving Court evidence.
Dr Michael Caruana, a lawyer also known as ‘il-Billy,’ was being investigated by then inspector Ivan Portelli who gathered evidence that indicated Caruana was cheating on welfare benefits, but George Grech tried to stop him, according to Portelli’s evidence.
Portelli was giving evidence in a court case against the Prime Minister after he was fired from the police force. According to Portelli, George Grech acted abusively in his regard.
Portelli told the court that, following the set up of the Tax Compliance Unit, he was asked to investigate cases that were passed on to him. “Among the investigations there was one of a certain Michael Caruana about whom I found enough evidence to charge in court, which I did.”
That Michael Caruana is the same ‘il-Billy.’
“A few days after I spoke and took a statement from Caruana,” Portelli told the court, “I was contacted by George Grech who told me to put a halt to the investigations related to the tax compliance unit as a general amnesty was about to be granted.”
“I cancelled all the appointments I had immediately. It so happened, however, that Michael Caruana’s citation was already registered at the Gozo court and so I was not able to stop the process in his regard.
“When George Grech heard about this he sent for me and ordered me to stop the court proceedings against Michael Caruana immediately. In the meantime the amnesty mentioned by George Grech had not been issued and I had nothing in writing about an amnesty about to be given and that was verified by contacts made to Ian Napier the person responsible for the department that would be responsible for such amnesties.
“I informed George Grech that if he wanted me to stop the process he had to give me instructions in writing. But when I told him this he reacted abusively calling me a “merely an inspector,” and saying that he was the commissioner and that I should do as he said.”
Ivan Portelli did not follow the former Commissioner’s instructions, and told that court that “I did not stop the investigation because written instructions to do so were never issued.”
“I later realised that Michael Caruana was in fact a friend of George Grech. From that point onwards, Grech’s attitude towards me became even more harsh.”
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