Prison director resigns

Prison director Sandro Gatt has resigned and has asked to resume his duties within the police corps, a request which was accepted by the Justice Ministry yesterday.

The news comes just two days after The Sunday Times reported that a notorious prisoner, Leli Camilleri known as Il-Bully, was running the show behind bars.

In the article, Superintendent Gatt was reported admitting that Mr Camilleri's involvement as an intermediary between himself and the prisoners was more or less standard procedure.

The situation within the prison came under scrutiny after four prison guards were charged with beating Dutch inmate Perry Toornstra, who had tried to escape at the end of an hour's prison leave.

The ministry has appointed an independent board to investigate the reports on the alleged shortcomings within the prison. It is now awaiting its recommendations and will take appropriate action in due course.

When contacted, Supt. Gatt declined to comment. In the meantime, prison deputy director Inspector Abraham Zammit will be the acting director - the ministry would not say whether he would be filling the post permanently.

Asked where Supt. Gatt would be reassigned, a ministry spokesman said the new posting "will depend on the exigencies of the service".

The ministry was also asked whether it felt the police should continue running the prison, a situation questioned by many in the field, however, the spokesman said this role will not change.

"The government is committed to take stock of the situation within the correctional facility and to eventually implement those changes deemed necessary to ensure the prison's main objectives are duly attained," the spokesman said.

This situation is contested by former Prison Board of Visitors director, Mario Felice, who feels that a prison being run by the police is an undesirable situation.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Dr Felice had stressed that the prison should be distinct from the investigative arm, especially since police officers would have been exposed to police training, as opposed to training for prison custodial management.

Dr Felice was contacted yesterday for his opinion on the matter, especially since he had resigned in March saying he "does not share the same values on life and health as the prison's administration".

He said his disagreements earlier in the year with Supt. Gatt had been merely dismissed "as a clash of personalities".

"Unfortunately, that was the simplistic dismissal, the escape route when issues were not analysed but merely brushed aside. Instead I preferred to describe the clash as one reflecting different values and contrasting philosophies," he said.

"When my values and philosophy garnered no support, I was left no option but to call it a day. I suspect that the Prison Director (Supt. Gatt) has found himself in a similar position," he added.

Dr Felice feels it is still early days to predict whether yesterday's announcement signifies a change in values and philosophy, or whether a change in values and philosophy will be supported by proper and extensive training, expertise and exposure to modern, decent and humane prison management skills.

"Meanwhile, I am still sad, because facts as reported these past couple of weeks would suggest that a person was tortured in prison," he said.

"If and when an individual breaches the law, the civilised approach is criminal prosecution before independent courts. On the other hand, torture must be denounced as uncivilised and demeaning."