Sant awarded Lm2,400 libel damages

Opposition leader Alfred Sant was yesterday awarded Lm2,400 libel damages in two judgments given by Mr Justice Raymond C. Pace in the First Hall of the Civil Court.

Dr Sant had filed two writs in which he declared he had been libelled by an article published in the newspaper Il-Mument on October 18, 1998 and by a news item broadcast on Radio 101 on the same day.

In his writ filed against Il-Mument, Dr Sant said he had been libelled by an article headed "Alfred Sant iltaqa` ma` hu Meinrad Calleja f` Kastilja" (Alfred Sant meets Meinrad Calleja`s brother in Castille). The article was written by journalist Dione Borg and was published when Victor Camilleri was editor of the newspaper.

The article alleged that when Dr Sant was prime minister, he had held a meeting at Castille with Patrick Calleja, Meinrad Calleja`s brother. This meeting, according to the newspaper article, was kept secret and the author declared that the meeting had to be considered in the light of declarations made by Dr Sant following the general elections.

The court noted that in his affidavit, Dr Sant denied he had ever met with Patrick Calleja at Castille or anywhere else. No meeting had been held with him while Dr Sant was prime minister, nor had any meeting been held at any other time.

According to Dr Sant, the article had been aimed at discrediting his formal declaration that he would never meet with any persons who were involved in the attempted murder of Richard Cachia Caruana as he felt that the judicial process ought to take place on the basis of evidence produced before the courts. No political interference or intervention ought to take place in such procedures.

Dr Sant said the allegations were made to give the impression that he had said an untruth and that he had other intentions that ran contrary to his public declarations.

On his part, Borg declared that the newspaper had received information that Patrick Calleja had gone to Castille to speak with Dr Sant. This information was received from reliable sources. Borg added he had not made any official verification about the information.

In the case filed against Radio 101, Dr Sant said he had been libelled by a news item read by Nathaniel Attard on the radio news. Gordon Pisani was the radio station`s editor at the time.

The news item had declared that Dr Sant, while prime minister, had held a secret meeting with Patrick Calleja at Castille.

At Dr Sant`s request both libel suits were heard simultaneously.

Mr Justice Pace said the article and the news item aimed at spreading a defamatory message to the average reader or listener. It was obvious that the scope of both items was that of damaging Dr Sant`s credibility for the latter had previously declared he would not meet any person in connection with Richard Cachia Caruana`s attempted murder.

The court found that the news items were libellous in Dr Sant`s regard and that no evidence had been forthcoming to show the truth of the allegations they contained.

The court concluded by condemning Borg and Camilleri to pay Lm1,200 damages between them to Dr Sant. Pisani and Attard were also condemned to pay Lm1,200 between them to Dr Sant.

Dr Pawlu Lia was counsel to Dr Sant.

Dr Joseph Zammit Maempel was counsel to defendants.