Finance Minister sues newspaper for libel

Finance Minister Tonio Fenech yesterday filed a libel suit against the editor of the mid-week newspaper MaltaToday, Raphael Vassallo, and columnist Saviour Balzan. An article by Mr Balzan, entitled Exorcise Yourself, Tonio, appeared in last Wednesday's...

Finance Minister Tonio Fenech yesterday filed a libel suit against the editor of the mid-week newspaper MaltaToday, Raphael Vassallo, and columnist Saviour Balzan.

An article by Mr Balzan, entitled Exorcise Yourself, Tonio, appeared in last Wednesday's edition of the newspaper. Mr Fenech claimed that the allegations it contained were libellous and untrue and were also aimed at casting doubts on his integrity and credibility as a minister.

The article centres on the minister's trip in a private plane to watch the football team Arsenal play in Spain, accompanied by businessmen Joe Gasan and George Fenech.

In a statement issued yesterday, Mr Balzan said that he was going to make a request for the case to be heard with urgency. "No libel case will stop MaltaToday or Saviour Balzan from reporting or expressing opinions about the minister's actions, who decided to fly on the private plane of a well-known businessman," Mr Balzan said.

Lawyer Joseph Giglio signed the suit.

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