The court has thrown out a libel case filed by former GRTU director Vince Farrugia regarding a banner published in l-Orizzont stating he had labelled precarious workers as "rats".

Mr Farrugia felt that the banner, which was published 135 times in 2012, was defamatory and insulting. He said he had never used those words.

But according to evidence presented in court, Mr Farrugia had made the declaration during a 2011 meeting of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development. During the meeting, an argument erupted between Mr Farrugia and then General Workers Union general secretary Tony Zarb regarding precarious workers.

Mr Zarb said the ETC should be examining the employability of workers in precarious jobs, whereupon Mr Farrugia objected vehemently to the comment and referred to such workers who were receiving protection from the GWU as "rats".

This was was confirmed by then MCESD chairman Sonny Portelli and secretary Sylvia Gauci.

The court noted that Mr Farrugia himself had admitted to saying the phrase, but denied the fact that he was referring to workers who imported merchandise from abroad. However, his assertion was not corroborated by any other witness.

Magistrate Francesco Depasquale dismissed the case against l-Orizzont editor Josef Caruana.