Brincat awarded Lm300 libel damages

Net Television was yesterday condemned to pay MLP deputy leader Joseph Brincat Lm300 libel damages.

Magistrate Silvio Meli ruled against the television station's head of broadcasting, Anton Attard, and awarded Dr Brincat the damages for libel in the course of a news bulletin broadcast on September 19 last year.

Dr Brincat claimed he had been libelled by the news bulletin comparing him to a drug trafficker on the grounds that he had represented a notorious client.

The bulletin also alleged that Dr Brincat's work had caused conflict at the MLP headquarters because he had also represented another person involved with the drug trafficker in serious proceedings currently pending before the courts.

According to Dr Brincat, the bulletin also claimed he had breached an MLP directive to the effect that no party official could defend persons charged with drug trafficking.

The Magistrates' Court yesterday pointed out that Attard had not testified before the court but had pleaded that the news bulletin was not libellous in any way.

Dr Brincat had testified as to why he found the news bulletin to be libellous while Attard had not availed himself of the opportunity to rebut the complaints.

Nor had any evidence been produced by Attard to show that the facts on which the news bulletin was based were correct.