European Commissioner John Dalli has called on the Broadcasting Authority to take action against broadcaster Lou Bondì who in turn reacted by promising to report the commissioner to his boss, Manuel Barroso.

“I expect you to take the necessary action so that this incorrigible person who believes he is above everyone else will stop using public broadcasting for his own interests in flagrant breach of the law,” Mr Dalli said in a letter he sent to the broadcasting watchdog last week.

The letter, which was circulated to the press, revolves around Thursday’s Bondì+ programme in which, Mr Dalli complained, Mr Bondì mentioned him out of context during a discussion on last Friday’s debate in Parliament on the motion of no confidence in Transport Minister Austin Gatt.

Mr Dalli accused the broadcaster of insinuating that he could have something to do with the position taken by Nationalist MP Franco Debono who abstained.

Mr Dalli said he wanted to make it clear that he had nothing to do with the matter, whether directly or indirectly.

Speaking in Parliament, Dr Debono denied any link between him and Mr Dalli saying he did not even have his mobile phone number and had not spoken in years.

Mr Bondì was quick to respond with a statement, saying he would report Mr Dalli’s “attempt to undermine free journalism”. He also said he would write to all Maltese MEPs.

He refuted Mr Dalli’s charge that he had tried to imply anything, arguing that he had merely asked the general secretary of the Nationalist Party whether there was a connection between Dr Debono’s declaration on the operation of Parliament and the European Commission and the fact that Mr Dalli was a member of the Commission.

“European Commissioner John Dalli thinks that he can undermine free journalism in Malta by saying things which are not true about Bondì+. Something that he has been doing for years – including lately on the Labour Party’s station – despite my having repeatedly told him in public that he is lying,” Mr Bondì said.

Mr Dalli said he was strongly objecting to the fact that the Broadcasting Authority, which was supposed to safeguard the independence of public broadcasting, allowed someone such as Mr Bondì as to use prime time to promote his own agendas or to promote or destroy those he wanted, whenever he wanted.

Mr Dalli said that what had just happened was another link in the chain of misinformation campaigns and comments by Mr Bondì aimed at undermining his (Mr Dalli’s) esteem with the Maltese people.

He said he was told Mr Bondì had been doing this in his blogs for a long time.

This is not the first time the two have had scrapes. Mr Dalli has accused Mr Bondì of orchestrating a campaign against him ever since he resigned from Cabinet in 2004 following allegations of wrongdoing into the award of contracts for medical equipment and the purchase of airline tickets. He had been exonerated both by the Auditor General and the police.

Mr Bondì has consistently denied Mr Dalli’s allegations.

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