A newspaper editor and a former mayor were yesterday cleared of libel after a magistrate found that a published story was factually correct.

Magistrate Francesco De-pasquale found that former Il-Mument editor Victor Camilleri and ex-Marsascala mayor Mario Calleja were not guilty of libel in the case instituted by former Marsascala council executive secretary Joseph Caruana.

Mr Caruana had filed a libel case against the paper, which published e-mail correspondence between Mr Calleja and the Department for Local Government over alleged irregularities in the tender process for the provision of litter bins.

The libel suit was also filed against Mr Calleja but the court ruled he had nothing to do with the publication of the e-mail he had sent.

The court heard that Mr Caruana had taken home two bids the council received for the tender in question.

In view of this, the council had stopped the process, with the mayor informing the authorities the process had been “vitiated”.

The newspaper published the e-mail correspondence on January 24, 2010, and a week later published Mr Calleja’s letter explaining what had happened.

Magistrate Depasquale ruled that what the newspaper had published was not libellous and neither did it tarnish Mr Caruana’s reputation, as his role as executive secretary made him subject to public scrutiny.

The court ruled that correspondence between public officials was privileged under the Press Act.

He therefore turned down Mr Caruana’s request and cleared the newspaper of libel.

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