Draft ruling leak leads to Press Ethics Commission resignation

The Press Ethics Commission has resigned en masse after a draft decision was leaked to a newspaper, the Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM) said.

The decision, about a case moved by PBS editor Natalino Fenech against Charles Flores, was published by Mr Flores in l-orizzont before the commission had approved it.

The commission said that since the person who leaked the draft decision was not identified it had no other option but to resign. The institute accepted the resignation.

IĠM chairman Malcolm Naudi said the institute understood the situation was untenable but it did not have the means to investigate whether the leak was through the interception of an e-mail or the deliberate action of a commission member.

When the IĠM council asked Mr Flores to clarify his position, he insisted he was prepared to take an affidavit saying he obtained the information from another source and not from a commission member.

"Despite this, Mr Flores has offered to resign from the IĠM council and his resignation will be discussed at the next council meeting," Mr Naudi said.

He added that the IĠM was committed to ensure this vital organ would continue to function and would make an announcement on a new commission as soon as possible.