Norman Lowell, the leader of the far-right Imperium Europa, has lost a libel suit he filed in 2006 against the editor of Malta Today and two journalists.

He had filed the suit against Saviour Balzan and journalists Kurt Sansone and Matthew Vella, over three articles that appeared in the same edition in May, in what he believed was a "coordinated and malicious strategy" against him.

One of these was an editorial about allegations that Mr Lowell was involved in an arson attack on the house of columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Mr Lowell claimed the articles contained false and libelous information aimed at tainting his reputation.

Charges against Mr Sansone had been dropped.

In his decision, Magistrate Francesco Depasquale noted his strong disapproval for the lengthy process of this case, which, he said, threw bad light on the justice system.

In drawing up the sentence, he also took into consideration online discourse on a forum run by Imperium Europa, which is headed by Mr Lowell.

Magistrate Depasquale noted that Mr Balzan had also had the facade of his house set on fire, and that Mr Lowell had never condemned such attacks.

“The complainant... has harsh views on the immigration issue and whoever is involved in the defence of immigrant rights and therefore, by right, these views certainly evoke a similarly harsh reaction against him and his organisation.”

The sentence also makes reference to the defence by Mr Balzan and Mr Vella, who had highlighted the right to report on social and political facts.

Magistrate Depasquale held that the articles were not libelous, in view of Lowell’s extremist outpourings.

As a politician, he was also subject to public scrutiny and criticism.

The court also noted that Mr Lowell's comments on the media were not acceptable in a democratic society, where diversity and multiculturalism form the foundations of Maltese society.