Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella today won €500 in compensation after a magistrate found Nationalist Party media arm Net TV guilty of libel over its claim that he had failed to declare property in his declaration of assets.
Magistrate Francesco Depasquale heard how the television station aired a story on its news bulletin on August 10, 2013, claiming that Dr Vella had failed to list a villa in Zejtun in his assets.
In a hearing on 9 March, Dr Vella exhibited documents showing that the villa in question was inherited by his wife when her father passed away, and that the property was therefore not his.
Net News carried a correction soon after, withdrawing its allegations and apologising for the inconvenience caused to Dr Vella.
The court, however, found the station guilty of libel and ordered it to pay Dr Vella €500 in compensation.