BA had accepted Pullicino Orlando - PN

The Nationalist Party has insisted that the Broadcasting Authority this afternoon initially agreed to Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando representing the PN media at a televised press conference which was to be given by Alfred Sant.

It was only after insistence by Dr Sant that the authority changed its mind.

Reacting to a statement issued earlier by the BA, the PN said the authority initially accepted Dr Pullicino Orlando after seeking legal advice. The authority’s chief executive gave instructions for the press conference to proceed, as video footage showed.

Dr Pullicino Orlando was directed to his seat in the studio and all the preparations were made as was the case for the other journalists.

The PN said that Dr Sant, in objecting to Dr Pullicino Orlando, also asked the chairman of the Broadcasting Authority to call in the police to evict him.

It was Dr Sant who decided to walk out of the studios as he continued to insist that he did not want Dr Pullicino Orlando in there.

The PN said Dr Pullicino Orlando had attended several activities where Dr Sant was meant to speak about him , but Dr Sant preferred to speak when Dr Pullicino Orlando was not present. Dr Sant’s policy was to attack but did not want others to defend themselves. That was what he tried doing today, the PN said.

MLP general secretary Jason Micallef had even said during a meeting with the Broadcasting Authority’s officials that Dr Sant intended to speak about Dr Pullicino Orlando at the press conference and therefore did not want him there, the PN said.