MT editor refuses to reveal PN witnesses

The managing editor of Maltatoday, Saviour Balzan, yesterday refused to reveal the identities of Nationalist Party executive members meant to testify in a libel case, lest they be pressured to pull out.

Mr Balzan took the witness stand yesterday during the libel proceedings initiated against him by Pro-Vicar Mgr Anton Gouder over an article titled Gouder Denies Talking To PN Executives ... Instead He Talked To PN Parliamentary Group, which appeared on page three of the Sunday edition of March 20.

Mr Balzan said information had been leaked to him that Mgr Gouder had been invited to a parliamentary group meeting to give his views on in vitro fertilisation. Following this article he had carried a correction and said that the priest had in fact been before the Nationalist Party executive.

During this meeting, someone had asked minister Tonio Borg what Mgr Gouder was doing at the meeting. This question was asked in the presence of others.

Mr Balzan said he felt the story was newsworthy because of the public debate on the matter at the time. He added that he had witnesses from the executive ready to testify to this.

When asked who these people were, Mr Balzan said that he was not going to reveal their identities because of the political situation in Malta; once their names were out, then there would be pressure for them not to testify.

The case was deferred.