cormac.boomer
From: Don Mullan (dbmullan@indigo.ie)
To: cormac.boomer (cormac.boomer@ntlworld.com)
Cc: Garrett Harte (garrett.harte@tv3.ie)
Sent: 18 June 2001 14:29
Subject: Re: Documents
Cormac,
We look forward to receiving the documents.
Later in the week, around Friday perhaps, might it be possible to meet you in Dublin to discuss our developing proposal for a television documentary? Hopefully by Wednesday, Garrett and I will have it well advanced and will either fax or email it to you. It would be good to then sit down with you for an hour to go through it in detail.
Let me know what you think.
Thanks again Cormac.
Your treatment by the Maltese authorities leaves a lot to be desired and the fact that they did not treat this case with the due international care it deserved, raises more and more suspicions.
It is yet to be tested Cormac, but my developing hypothesis is as follows:
1. Bartolo was deliberately fingered by someone in authority in order to avoid a possible revenge attack either within Malta or against its diplomatic staff in Libya, following the assassination of Shqaqi. (The presence of up to 40 Mossad agents involved in Operation Caesarea could not have gone unnoticed by the Maltese authorities). The protests in Tripoli set off alarm bells and it was realised the Islamic Jihad saw Malta as an accomplice. Someone took the decision to leak information to KullHadd and the Maltese Times effectively implicating Bartolo.
2. If and when Islamic Fundamentalists moved to exact revenge, it was assumed that only Bartolo would be their target. However, whatever the actual circumstances on the night in question, it was decided to take Barlolo and his full compliment of passengers.
3. When it became clear to the Maltese and Tunisian authorities that in addition to Bartolo, innocent international travellers, as well as Maltese citizens, had been eliminated, the potential repercussions made a cover-up desirable.
4. The alleged comments of Phillip Sciberras were made prior to the full implications of how and what had transpired being fully realised.
If nothing else Cormac, it is a hypothesis which needs to be tested alongside the many questions over the handling of evidence by the so-called Board of Inquiry and the failure of the Maltese authorities to do everything possible to ensure a full, transparent and credible investigation was carried out to satisfy the international dimensions of the tragedy.
Talk to you later.
sincerely,
Don.
----- Original Message -----
From: cormac boomer
To: Don Mullan
Sent: Monday, June 18, 2001 10:56 AM
19/06/01
cormac.boomer
From: Don Mullan (dbmullan@indigo.ie)
To: cormac.boomer (cormac.boomer@ntlworld.com)
Sent: 27 June 2001 02:33
Subject: Re: The document
Thank you for this Cormac.
----- Original Message ---
From: cormac.boomer
To: Don Mullan
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2001 9:27 PM
Subject: The document
Don,
Herewith the document you requested. l am expecting calls from Cecilia and Geoff tomorrow,
will be in touch
Cormac
cormac.boomer
From: Don Mullan (dbmullan@indigo.ie)
To: cormac.boomer (cormac.boomer@ntlworld.com)
Sent: 28 June 2001 23:57
Subject: Re: Info.
Cormac,
Thanks for this information. I will incorporate it into the proposal. Your piece read fine to me. And thanks for staying up so late to do it.
I know this process will be painful. Thank you for agreeing to commit. I assure you, I will do my best both by way of the documentary and the book. Rest assured of that.
You can begin working on your recollections in your own time Cormac.
I spoke with Geoff Williams tonight. Confidentially, I have worries around the Andrew Williams/Scibberas story. Unless Andrew is prepared to come forward and stand over what he told Geoff, I think we will be better to downplay it. Anyway, we have time to locate him and I will make an approach when I think the time is right.
I'm off to France on Sunday Cormac.
I'll be in contact, please God, when I get back.
Take care,
Don
----- Original Message -----
From: (cormac.boomer)
To: Don Mullan
Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2001 10:13 PM
Subject: Info.
Don
You must have had a good laugh reading my e-mail this morning, I worked into early morning to complete the attachment and I was half asleep when I ran up the e-mail and sent it off before I ran it past the spell checker.
With regard to the book, I will do a write up about Dessie as you requested, and provide photographs, it will take time but rest assured however painful it will be done, now the following information came through from Cecilia today.
(1) Re: Joe Sultana, In 1995 his role was as Assistant Director of Dept. of Civil Aviation, he is now the Director of that Department.
(2) Re: The General Election, This was held on the 26 October 1996, between 9-30 / 10 PM two government officials came to Cecilia's home to advise of the find of (in their words) the wreckage of the plane and show her photographs of these items which at that time were still laying somewhere in Tunisia.
The names of the two gentlemen areas follows. Mr. Anthony Mangun, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transport, and a Mr. Inganes First Secretary The Embassy of Malta to Tunisia (This will give you food for thought)
30/06/01
Don
Your revised proposed document made interesting reading; it gets better as you rewrite it. Now I have taken the time to read it carefully, so here are my comments by page and paragraph.
P2 Par4 Woods was sitting in the co-pilots seat, he told me that he smelt burning rubber on two occasions, the second occasion being 20 minutes before the plane landed
P3 Par5-line 4 replace Boomer with Woods ( it was his statement ) In line 6 I also suggest inclusion of statement by Woods that he met and spoke to Michael Williams
P4 Par1 It is recorded in the transcripts that Bartolo ( At whatever time he was briefed by Djerba ATC stated to the controller (unnamed ) that he was going back to his hotel to collect two ( unnamed ) passengers to fly home Q? if he was determined to fly out why were they not with him then ?
P4—Par5 Are we expected to believe that Djerba airport would mobilise the necessary technical staff to facilitate one ( cowboy ) operator in the early hours free of charge ( here your point is well made). Regarding embarkation, knowing the Police State/Regime that operates in Tunisia, Q who authorised passenger clearance to fly out? And what of security cameras, are we to believe that Djerba does not operate such surveillance, your final Q in this paragraph needs an answer i.e. Who saw the plane take off and were passengers on board
P4—Par6 (search & rescue) Somewhere in the transcripts it is stated (and we were informed at the time) that on the morning of the flight Djerba ATC rang Malta ATC to enquire if they could see 9H-ABU on their radar as apparently that aircraft had disappeared from their (Djerba’s) screens sometime previously as the aircraft approached the FIR boundary (Tunisia to Malta airspace) apparently there is no record of Djerba ATC ever having made similar contact before or since for any reason
P5—Par1 This is probably where my AFM contact worked, he told me it was his job to set rescue procedures in motion. Par 2 I await info. On Joe Sultana from Cecilia
Par 3 Given the level of air traffic i.e. Airtours, BEA, Thompson, Air Malta and other International flights to Malta Their Emergency and Rescue provision was disgraceful it is probably no better even now
P5--Par 9 The Cospasar signal was never investigated by anyone, In tape 2 Daniel challenged minister Gaela and the Tunisian Ambassador on this point but did not receive an answer
P--Par 2 The Gonfulut my second contact ( he came and asked to speak to me about the incident) stated that the signal about 6 men in a life raft was in the opinion of the private flyers part of an elaborate hoax and official cover-up
Par 4 The "photographs" It is a matter of record that the Dept. for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Jon Lawton) Requested the authorities in Malta to make these items available to me for inspection. The Chairman Dr Scibberas refused my request I wonder why?
P7—Par3 Paul Lehman - On the occasion of his submission to the court Cecilia and I put questions to him, in reply to C he said on the evidence of the wreckage he could only conclude that there two people on board. I asked if in the course of his examination he had found any trace of human remains, He answered no, and he then held up his right hand ( the palm facing the court) and said in such circumstances investigators would always as a matter of routine look for human residue, i.e. the small bones of fingers toes and skin which would normally be trapped in the crevices of wreckage, he stated that he had found no traces of such. At the close of session I spoke to him in the presence of Gordinmier and Sturmire and asked if he explain the stretch in the four sections of seat belts recovered in the wreckage? Lehman said he could not, Sturmire and Gordinmier ( The latter always projected an attitude of aggression towards me ) put forward the suggestion that the stretch was the result of the pressure of the bodies at the moment of impact. I pointed out that the force exerted at impact on the softest part of the body would cause the belts to slice through the body rather than stretch. I also pointed out their theory did not explain how the belts which are secured to the struts in the floor were ripped apart and the securing bolts bent ( see photographs ) they made no answer. Regarding the Tunisian ATC tape it required numerous requests and three years for the Tunisians to come up with one and this a copy
P8—Par2 I agree with Lehman, I am satisfied the wreckage belongs to 9H-ABU, But I question it having been in saltwater for ten months, or salt water at any time.
P8—Par I What do you require clarified in Farrugias submission? Note ???=Board or Malta. I am in agreement with his submission, having observed his lack of performance in court for four years the content of his submission did surprise me.
P1—Par2 Speedboats are as numerous ( inshore and offshore ) around the coast of Malta especially in high summer as are automobiles on a motorway , one more would not be noticed..
Par—4 We the relatives have never been notified by anyone in authority that our loved ones are missing, The news conveyed to Mandy via the RUC in Banbridge relayed a message from George Jackson at Maple in Darlington to the effect that the plane on which Dessie was presumed to be a passenger was long overdue and there was cause for serious concern Mandy conveyed this info to me at 5 pm on the that evening 03/12/95
P110/11 For the effectiveness and credibility of our affidavits it is important to emphasise that after hearing Andrew’s phone message, it was at this point that Geoff asked Andrew if he had a name for the Maltese public figure with whom he had the meeting, Andrew replied it was a Dr. Philip Sciberras. Note that was how Geoff conveyed it to me at the time and he confirmed it yesterday when I raised this point with him again
P11—Par-4 The wreckage Mysteriously surfaced shortly after I made Andrew’s statement in the Malta Press who said of the find "It raised more questions than it answered "
P13 --Q Re the photographs I agree.