The family of the 25-year-old prisoner who unexpectedly passed away in his cell overnight were not immediately contacted due to the fact that the inmate did not provide any contact details, Corradino Correctional Facility has said. 

In a press release, the correctional facility claimed that the subsequent procedure involved the police having to go through the Pakistan Consulate in Malta in order to get a hold of the family.

“After the death, the normal procedures were triggered whereby the police, as part of its investigation, made contact with the Consulate of the country concerned to identify and inform the relatives.

“This is the only official way relatives could have been informed as no details were given to the facility,” it clarified.

Ihtisham Ihtisham died unexpectedly overnight on 19th November in Corradino Correctional Facility – he was set to be released on Christmas Day, 25th December. 

Speaking to Lovin Malta, his family said they were disappointed and shocked at the way they were treated including no formal communication that their son had passed away.

“No one within the correctional facility had the decency to contact the family members or lawyers to inform them,” said Ihtisham’s lawyer, Dr Jacques Grima.

Grima himself only found out about the death after it was reported online; Ihtisham’s family, likewise, only found out about their son’s death after Grima told them himself, and not any state authority.

The family’s attempt to contact the correctional facility and inquire about their son’s death fell upon deaf ears.

A magisterial inquiry is underway and the results from an autopsy can be expected soon.

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