Gafa challenges Data Commissioner over story on irregular works at residence

Superintendent Sylvana Gafa, the wife of Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa, is challenging a decision by the Data Commissioner after he refused the complaint filed related to a story by The Shift on irregular works at their villa.

Rather than address the issues raised in the report, Gafa turned to the data commissioner to say that the report breached personal data rules. The data commissioner disagreed despite her insistence.

The Shift was informed about the appeal since it was involved in the complaint.

Gafa insists the report with a photo of their home poses a security threat, refusing to accept the commissioner’s explanation that her complaint “did not fall within the definition of personal data and within the scope of the GDPR.”

Gafa has now filed an appeal to challenge the commissioner’s decision, insisting that the villa is identifiable even though the image does not list their address.

“It is to be noted that the area is very particular, so it is easily identifiable and since we are both police officers, it makes it even worse as same is personally targeting my family and putting our lives at risk,” the police commissioner’s wife claimed.

Data Protection Commissioner Ian Deguara stood by his decision.

Not in line with the law

Last November, The Shift reported that a video sent by neighbours and shared by independent candidate Arnold Cassola’s showed a construction worker working without a harness while standing on makeshift scaffolding at the police commissioner’s villa.

The scaffolding was not covered with a mesh and no vacuum was used to contain emissions, as required by law.

Neighbours told The Shift that they were angry this was being allowed to happen, especially at the police commissioner’s villa, and that reports filed with the police, the OHSA and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on the irregular works were ignored.

No action, more money

The couple bought the villa in 2022, shortly after Prime Minister Robert Abela appointed Angelo Gafa to the top job in the police force. Gafa was already CEO of the police under disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat, a post the government created for him and abolished upon his appointment as police commissioner.

He has been harshly criticised for failing to act on alleged crimes involving Labour Party politicians.

The Shift raised concerns over how the Gafas could finance a villa they purchased for €885,000 through a bank loan when the police commissioner and his wife earned €6,000 monthly and had to pay more than half of this in loan repayments.

Their financial situation has improved significantly since then.

Following a contract renewal without the opposition’s consensus and despite objections by civil society, Gafa was put on a €107,000-a-year financial package, with more than half of this being allowances.

His wife Sylvana was also promoted to superintendent, with an additional financial package of €71,611.