Police inspector sues weekly paper for libel

A police inspector yesterday filed a libel case against Malta Today over a report claiming he had been investigated in connection with arson at the newspaper editor’s residence. Elton Taliana, the officer, had exposed the fact that a man was wrongly accused of carrying out a hold-up. In his lawsuit, he objected to the report carried yesterday and titled ‘Police Inspector In Wrongful Prosecution Was Investigated Over 2007 Arson’. He insisted it was completely false that he had even been investigated over the crime. Earlier this month, Mr Taliana arraigned 22-year-old Roderick Grech, accusing him of carrying out the hold-up at a confectionary store in Birkirkara over which Darryl Borg, 27, had already been accused. Mr Borg had also been remanded in custody. Mr Grech pleaded guilty and was given a suspended jail term. He had also given the police the balaclava and the toy gun he used in the theft. On Mr Grech’s arraignment, Mr Taliana informed the court that, two days before, a man had been charged and detained when he had nothing to do with the crime. The court immediately took action to set the man free. Mr Taliana had attributed the mishap to miscommunication within the police...