Lawyer Gege' Gatt, son of former Transport Minister Austin Gatt, has won €1,500 in compensation after a court ruled as libellous a new item on One News broadcast on January 20, 2012. 

Magistrate Francesco Depasquale this morning condemned government spokesman Kurt Farrugia, who at the time was editor of the Labour's radio station, to pay damages after ruling that the news item was libellous and defamatory. 

The station had claimed that while Austin Gatt had taken over the management of the PN electoral campaign, his son was helping by coordinating the attacks on Joseph Muscat, then Opposition Leader, over the internet.

It had also claimed that Gege' Gatt had set up a number of technology companies, among them Icon and Muovo, which had a considerable amount of work in a very short period of time. 

Furthermore, the station had claimed that Dr Gatt was being pushed as the party's next general secretary to replace Paul Borg Olivier. 

The court upheld Dr Gatt's argument that the news item was defamatory and aimed at tarnishing his reputation.

On the other hand, the court threw out Mr Farrugia's defence that the item could be considered as fair comment. 

While finding nothing wrong with claims regarding his companies, which had won government contracts, the court declared that the part that claimed that Dr Gatt was coordinating attacks over the internet was defamatory and therefore ordered Mr Farrugia to pay €1,500 in damages.