Government plans to raise the maximum penalty for libel to €20,000 were another way how this administration was trying to gag the media, the PN said today.

Deputy Leader Beppe Fenech Adami said the obligation to register every website publishing any form of news was also another government measure which would hinder freedom of expression.

Dr Fenech Adami was reacting at a press conference to the Media and Defamation Bill presented last Tuesday by the government.

While welcoming the proposals to abolish criminal libel and ban garnishee orders on journalists, he said that this move was nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction to the Private Members Bill presented the day before by the Opposition.

The PN deputy leader noted that had it not been for the outrage caused by the €47,000 garnishee order filed by Economy Minister Chris Cardona against blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia, nothing would have changed.

Dr Fenech Adami pointed out that the prime minister was aware of Dr Cardona’s intentions beforehand and did nothing to stop him.

He backed his claim by showing a short video clip of an interview broadcast yesterday on PBS in which the economy minister said that he had “informed” the prime minister of his plan.

The news conference was also addressed by PN broadcasting spokesman Clyde Puli who accused the government of interfering in the state broadcaster’s news bulletin. He said that a news report on a Labour Party activity had been manipulated so that part of the footage was replaced by footage provided by the Labour TV station.