Former MP ordered to pay Lm4,465 damages

A former Nationalist MP was condemned to pay Lm4,465 damages for screening a video recording of a football match without a licence during a tea party, leading to the revocation of the hall licence where the party was held.

Josie Muscat was ordered to pay damages to John Cordina of Corrigo Hall, Zabbar, by Mr Justice Philip Sciberras in the Civil Court.

The court heard Cordina claim that Dr Muscat had leased the hall on May 2, 1983, to hold a tea party.

But he screened a film in the hall despite the fact that he had been specifically instructed not to and the licenses for the hall were revoked by the police on June 14, 1983 because the hall had not been licensed for the purpose of screening films.

Cordina said he had sustained damages including lost bookings.

But Dr Muscat pleaded that Cordina's action was time-barred. He also argued he had not withdrawn the licences and thus was not responsible for the damages sustained by Cordina.

In any case, Cordina had been a co-organiser of the activity and had prepared the hall for it.

Dr Muscat said the activity had not been organised by him but by The Friends of Josie Muscat and that the writ had therefore been filed incorrectly in his regard.

The Civil Court declared that Dr Muscat had leased the hall and a video of a football game was shown on a screen provided by him and the police commissioner had deemed the screening as being in violation of Cordina's licence.

The police had also considered the activity in violation of the Entertainments Tax Act, 1974, which prescribed a tax on entertainment provided to the public.

Mr Justice Sciberras added that Dr Muscat had assumed responsibility for what had occurred at the activity and that he had declared, in a letter written to the police, that he had organised the activity.

In the criminal proceedings filed against Cordina (in which Cordina had been acquitted by the Magistrates' Court) Dr Muscat had testified he had not informed Cordina that the video was going to be aired.

An expert appointed by the court had concluded that Dr Muscat was responsible for the damages sustained by Cordina when his licences for Corrigo Hall were withdrawn by the police.

No abuse on the part of the police was proven when the licences were withdrawn for it resulted that the activity in the hall had violated the laws.

The court expert had also concluded that the case was not time-barred.

The Civil Court yesterday upheld the conclusions reached by the expert and ordered Dr Muscat to pay Cordina Lm4,465 damages.