18 Months After He Was Cleared Of Masterminding Armed Robberies, Ex-Cop Is Now Defending Caruana Galizia Murder Suspect’s Partner
Left: Murder suspect George Degiorgio (court drawing by Seb Tanti Burlo), Right: Lawyer David Gatt
David Gatt, a lawyer and former policeman who was last year cleared of masterminding several armed robberies and bank heists, is defending the partner of one of the men charged with assassinating journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
George Degiorgio’s partner Anca Adelina Pop, along with George Degiorgio (Iċ-Ċiniż) himself and his brother and fellow murder suspect Alfred (Il-Fulu), have been charged with money laundering after the police investigated their lavish lifestyles and bank transactions.
They were prosecuted for money laundering last week, just over six months after they were charged with the murder of Caruana Galizia.
While the Degiorgio brothers are being represented by William Cuschieri – the same lawyer who is representing Alfred in the murder case – Adelina Pop, a Romanian national, is being represented by David Gatt.
The names of the Degiorgio brothers and fellow murder suspect Vince Muscat (Il-Koħħu) had already been linked with Gatt in two previous cases, in which the former policeman was accused, but not found guilty, of being in cahoots with the criminal underworld.
In 2001, Gatt was kicked out of the police force after the Security Services allegedly intercepted him in phone calls it was tapping from suspects in a G4S security van heist – which included both Degiorgio brothers. According to former Police Commissioner John Rizzo, the intercepts showed that Gatt had advised suspect George Briffa on how to avoid suspicion in police investigations into the heist.
Gatt sued the Police Commissioner and the Prime Minister for unfair dismissal and won the case in 2010 after the police failed to present warrants to justify the tapping operation that led to his dismissal.
A few months later though, Gatt was arrested and charged with masterminding several crimes, including the theft of over €1 million from an HSBC Balzan bank, two failed robberies on a cash van and a jeweller and the notorious 2010 foiled heist on the HSBC Qormi headquarters that ended in a police shootout.
Gatt had originally appeared for Vince Muscat (Il-Koħħu) when he was charged with the HSBC bank heist in 2010, along with another man called Darren Debono ‘It-Topo’. The case is still ongoing although Muscat’s lawyer is now Arthur Azzopardi.
Gatt’s court case dragged on for seven years, with the main testimony coming from ‘PC99’ Mario Portelli – a former friend of Gatt. Portelli testified that, amongst other things, Gatt had given him a mafia-style initiation, that he had introduced him to criminals who he had given mafia-like nicknames, and had threatened to kill former President Eddie Fenech Adami.
Portelli appeared to be completely enamoured by Gatt, admitting that he felt “psychologically possessed” by him and that he felt like a superior being after Gatt once burned a holy picture and kissed him on the face.
However, Gatt then testified that Portelli – who was later boarded out of the police force on mental health issues – had psychological mental problems, that he had boasted of robbing migrants and that he had once stormed into his ex-wife’s father’s farm and killed his dogs with a hammer.
George Degiorgio is one of three men charged with assassinating Daphne Caruana Galizia
Gatt won the case, with the courts severely reprimanded the police prosecuting team for prosecuting him on the basis of Portelli’s testimony.
During court proceedings though, police constable Jonathan Agius testified that he had heard from sources that Gatt had threatened him after he [Agius] had carried out a search on George Degiorgio’s BMW.
Agius said he had been keeping tabs on Degiorgio’s car following a previous incident and happened to spot the man driving while on the beat near the Marsa ‘potato shed’ – the same place he was later arrested on suspicion of the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. His brother Alfred arrived on the scene in a Mercedes and the two brothers refused the policeman’s request to search George’ car, until he brought in officers from the Criminal Investigations Department. A search of the car yielded nothing.
David Gatt used to work at the law firm of now Economy Minister Chris Cardona
The story also had a political tinge about it, seeing as Gatt – after he left the police force but before he was prosecuted – had undertaken his legal practice at the law firm of Chris Cardona, back then just a Labour MP and now Economy Minister and PL deputy leader. Cardona had signed the recommendation for Gatt to be given a warrant and Gatt – although self-employed – used to work out of Cardona’s law firm.
According to Daphne Caruana Galizia, Cardona and Gatt continued their relationship even after Cardona was appointed Economy Minister and Gatt was still facing court charges. In a blogpost in 2016, the late journalist said the two men had been spotted drinking at a Paceville nightclub.
And he is now defending Anca Adelina Pop, the partner of George Degiorgio, who was recently charged with money laundering – along with George and Alfred Degiorgio. All three have pleaded not guilty but have been kept in custody.
Daphne Caruana Galizia had claimed Gatt maintained a close relationship with Cardona
During a sitting last week, Gatt urged the courts to grant his client bail, arguing that she had a clean criminal conduct and that keeping her in police custody will only harm her children, as well as Degiorgio’s two other children from a previous marriage.
“Although she is not married, she is a full-time housewife whose day starts at 6am and finishes when her children go to bed,” Gatt said. “The children will suffer if the court goes down the retributive route.”
However, the court rejected this request – highlighting the serious nature of the charges and the fact that civilian witnesses have yet to testify.
READ NEXT: Who Are The Brothers In Crime Suspected Of Killing Daphne Caruana Galizia?
