No misinformation on Boffa case

Had I been a cowboy I would have come out with both guns blazing at Lara Boffa for the inaccurate remarks she made in her article (November 28) on what she claimed were “unsubstantiated (mis)­information” in the case I won hands down against the Maltese authorities in defence of the right of freedom of expression.

She had the cheek to write about the distortion of history when she has not the slightest idea of the situation in Malta at the time Sir Paul Boffa was alive.

I repeat once again for the benefit of The Times readers, that I knew him very well when he was Prime Minister, during the quarrel with Dom Mintoff, his term in the coalition and afterwards, when he lay sick covered with a warm blanket at his home in Paola to the extent that Lady Boffa called me when he died to help her with the arrangements, and when we went together to the Labour Party club a few doors from where he was lying dead to stop them from spitefully playing loud band marches.

If she looks up the list of mourners at the burial at Tarxien cemetery she will quickly understand how, in the atmosphere of those times, there was little of the respect that was due to him from the politicians he worked with of both parties, which was shameful.

Don’t speak to me of history. Readers will have deduced from Ms Boffa’s wayward insinuations that she owes me an apology for getting it all so wrong.

I did not libel Sir Paul as was convincingly proved before the European Court. The statements I made were fully substantiated (contrary to what she says). There was no misinformation, rather, the opposite. The Boffa family was in no way involved in the case in Strasbourg as this was against the decision of the Maltese courts as such. Above all, nobody can intervene after the judgement has been given in Strasbourg, as she claimed, whether it is by the family I am presuming she must represent unilaterally or the government.