Norman Vella questioned by police, later released

From The Malta Independent, 27 October 2013

Former TV presenter Norman Vella, who is employed at the passports section at Malta International Airport, was held for questioning for four hours this evening at the end of his shift for allegedly taking photos of the government’s chief communications officer Kurt Farrugia at the departure lounge.

Mr Vella has denied the accusation. His mobile phone and tablet were confiscated.

In comments to the media after his release, Mr Vella said he was approached by police officers as he was leaving MIA and asked to hand over his mobile phone, which he did, also giving permission for the officers to check what photos he had taken. The photos allegedly showing Mr Farrugia and the communications coordinator of the Home Affairs Ministry at the airport were not found on the device, and the police according to Mr Vella did not have copies of them either.

Mr Vella said that in his statement to the police he had asked for an investigation to be carried out on the people who filed the report who, he said, had tried to tarnish his name by filing a false report. His mobile phone and tablet are still in possession of the police, with Mr Vella insisting that he is present when they are being looked into as part of the investigation.

Mr Vella had also been told that he had been suspended from work but was later informed that he could go to work as usual on Monday.

Sources said that the police are in possession of CCTV footage showing Mr Vella taking photos. His lawyer is insisting that Mr Vella did not take any photos and wants to make sure that the statement given to the police is recorded word for word. He is also demanding that Mr Vella's mobile phone is sealed to avoid any tampering.

In a brief statement, the police said investigations are under way into the alleged breach of airport security regulations by an immigration officer who photographed a passenger in a restricted area for which the police are responsible.

An immigration officer has been demanded an explanation following the examination of close-circuit television footage, the police said. As is normal, the police did not reveal the identity of the people involved.

The Times portal reported that the photo Mr Vella allegedly took was posted on the blog of Daphne Caruana Galizia, who has denied she ever uploaded such a photo or being in its possession.

Mrs Caruana Galizia wrote in her blog that she did not receive any photo of any kind, taken at any place, from Norman Vella; that she did not receive any photo of Kurt Farrugia, Ramona Attard or any of the other ex Super One TV contingent taken at the airport today by anyone else/from anyone else; and did not upload any such photo for the simple reason that she did not have one to begin with. She said The Times journalist should have checked her blog before reporting an "appalling lie".

Earlier this afternoon, Mr Farrugia and the communications coordinator of the Home Affairs Ministry, Ramona Attard, left for London to join their colleagues for a course to be given by the BBC.

Mr Vella was stopped from continuing his popular shows on TV after the election, with his secondment to PBS withdrawn by the government. He has taken legal action.