Following the unfortunate passing of 29-year-old inmate Kim Borg Nicolas Virtu by suicide last June, two prison warders have been charged with involuntary homicide. Facing criminal proceedings before Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo, the two high-ranking officials will be charged over alleged failure to stick to protocols which led to the prisoner’s death. They will also be charged with committing a crime they were duty-bound to prevent on duty, with the involuntary homicide charge carrying a maximum prison term of four years or a €11,000 fine. 

In an interview with Times of Malta, her father broke the silence to state that his daughter had been pushed far beyond her limit inside Corradino Correctional Facility. In a powerful video, Xarabank host Peppi Azzopardi recounts how Kim expressed and showed signs of wanting to commit suicide, was ignored and was also reported to have three broken ribs upon autopsy. 

Azzopardi continued by saying that should the same leadership and management continue in Corradino, incidents such as this would continue to occur. He pointed to the suicide of Colin Galea, who followed Kim’s due to, what Peppi deemed, a failure by the establishment to address the inherent problems in the prison. He also appealed to prison officials to refuse orders of abusing prisoners should they be directed to them and encouraged anyone who can contact him to keep doing so so as to continue raising awareness about what reportedly happens in Corradino. 

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Photo Source: Wikipedia, Peppi Azzopardi FB