Mayor found guilty of defamation

The mayor of Floriana, Nigel Holland, was conditionally discharged for a year after a court found him guilty of defaming the former mayor four years ago when he was still a councillor.

The court found that Mr Holland had distributed leaflets saying Pullu Agius, Sindku bla fiduċja ta' ħadd - Hekk sew? (Pullu Agius, mayor who enjoys nobody's confidence - Is this right?). The leaflets were distributed in the streets of Floriana in December 2004.

The court heard how in 2004 an election was held for a new mayor but no one won an absolute majority. According to law the oldest of the candidates would then take up the post of mayor for the following six months, after which the mayor would be voted into place by councillors.

Publius Agius was elected mayor after the six months were up. Mr Holland, who was a councillor at the time, claimed that the two Labour councillors were told by the Labour Party to vote for Mr Agius, who was an independent candidate.

Therefore, he alleged, the election was decided by a third party (the Labour Party) and hence was not a free election as it should have been. This was the reason he distributed the leaflets, the court heard.

Taking into consideration that Mr Holland has no criminal record and was considered to be a first-time offender, Magistrate Giovanni Grixti conditionally discharged him for a year.