Watch: Sigmund Mifsud Opens Up On Legal Battle And Allegations Of Covering Up Sexual Harassment
Former Malta Philharmonic Orchestra CEO Sigmund Mifsud appeared on Karl Bonaci’s podcast to address the controversy surrounding his name after he was charged in connection with an alleged sexual harassment case raised by his former personal assistant.
Mifsud started by questioning why his case was given such widespread media attention when around 160 sexual harassment cases are reported yearly.
He also warned that some reports painted a misleading picture and implied that he was the harasser, when he was actually charged with tampering with evidence by allegedly instructing employees to keep quiet about the case – an accusation he denies.
Mifsud expressed serious doubts about the case’s veracity, stating that it began around two and a half years ago when he noticed a change in his personal assistant’s behaviour.
“In her final three months at the orchestra, she would come to the office and make certain allegations, and I eventually found out that she was secretly recording me,” he said. “She was obviously fabricating proof to be used against me and I say this with the utmost responsibility.”
He said his assistant would intentionally avoid doing certain work so as to press his buttons and get him to shout at her on tape. However, he didn’t inquire further into her behavioural change as he had assumed she was going through a rough personal patch.
When she eventually resigned, she warned she was suffering sexual harassment at the hands of another MPO employee. However, she didn’t name the man in her resignation letter, and Mifsud suspects this was done intentionally so that he would become the target himself when the letter would eventually be leaked to the media.
He said the man she accused was a close friend of hers and no one ever raised the alarm to him that he might have been sexually harassing her.
“When we went to a concert, she always sat next to him, and regular attendees questioned whether they were a couple. When he invited a few people to a bar for his birthday, she was on the guest list, and when we went on tour, she worked hand in hand with him. I don’t think you would tour with someone who was sexually harassing you.”
While Mifsud doesn’t consider the alleged culprit a friend, he hailed him as one of the best employees he ever worked with.
Mifsud said that when he received the letter, he personally reported it to the Permanent Secretary and an internal investigation was launched. A few days later, the alleged victim went to the police and the alleged harasser was arrested and charged.
The man, who was 31 at the time, pleaded guilty and was handed a suspended sentence that was eventually reduced on appeal.
Mifsud stated that he is convinced he only pleaded guilty out of fear at the widespread coverage and the risk of imprisonment if the case proceeded and he was found guilty.
A few days later, Mifsud was charged himself.
“I was relaxing at home and the police called me up and summoned me to the station. I thought they wanted to clarify a few things about the case, so I called up my lawyer and told him it’s probably nothing because the officer sounded very cordial. However, my lawyer warned me that I was going to be arrested.”
“I went to the station, they confiscated my mobile and I waited for my lawyer to come. They then took me to the depot, where I spoke to my lawyer for half an hour before I was interrogated for two hours. I tried to explain everything and part of me wondered whether I was on candid camera, but I accepted the situation and wasn’t surprised.”
Mifsud spent a sleepless night in the police lock-up and was hauled to court in handcuffs the next day. To his surprise, he was initially denied bail and had to spend 12 days in prison.
He publicly thanked Peppi Azzopardi for understanding he was facing an injustice and for calling up the prison and urging them to take care of him.
“I don’t know if it was thanks to Peppi but everyone was nice to me at the prison,” he said.
During his case, he discovered the nature of the alleged sexual harassment.
“The accusations were that he had touched her shoulders from behind and that he had given her a Christmas present featuring a naked woman saying Happy Christmas. Also, during a farewell party for one of the staff, they got a bit drunk and were jokingly throwing ice cubes at each other. At one point, the alleged culprit threw an ice cube down her cleavage, and this ended up in the charges.”
“Why was this given so much importance? Did they have to scare this boy that he could end up in prison for six years?”
Mifsud said he is convinced he will win the case but warned it has taken a toll on his personal life as he missed out on several work opportunities, had to miss his daughter’s birthday while incarcerated, and had to witness his family pass through emotional damage.
He described his case as a prime example of legal abuse, where someone with knowledge of the system weaponised it to attempt to destroy him.
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