Joseph Muscat Wiped Phone Data Amid ‘Weeks’ Of Police Seizure ‘Rumours And Banter’
Former prime minister Joseph Muscat wiped his phone data amid “rumours, banter and conversation” about police seizure during the festive season, Muscat’s lawyer told the Times of Malta.
Muscat wiped his data three weeks before a police search of his home and concerns have been raised about what triggered Muscat to do this. In fact, earlier this week, NGO Repubblika argued that it is likely that police leaks informed Muscat’s decision, leading him to “erase evidence”.
Muscat’s lawyer said that, in previous comments, the ex-prime minister referred to public comments about the search as well as “persistent rumours, banter and conversations taking place in a number of public places weeks in advance (especially during the festive period) and about which he had been informed.”
Prior to erasing the data, Muscat ran Google searches on how to erase iPhone data and how to delete backups of WhatsApp chats on two separate occatsions, the courts were told last week.
On 28th December 2021, his phone was reset. On 19th January 2022, police showed up at his house in Burmarrad, where they searched his belongings and took his phone.
Muscat handed over a file of documents prepared prior to the search which he admitted he was only “half surprised” by.
Unlocking said phone took officials almost a year with special software being put to use and attempting around 1,100 different password combinations per day.
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