Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant was yesterday awarded €1,000 in libel damages from Nationalist minister Austin Gatt, who had made what the court said were unacceptable comments about Dr Sant in connection with alcohol and drugs.

Dr Sant filed his suit in 2007, claiming he had been libelled by Dr Gatt in an address the ex-minister made to the Nationalist Party’s general council.

Dr Gatt had told the council that he would tell a joke. He said that Discovery Channel carried a programme entitled Altered Statesmen, which analysed a number of politicians who had a problem with alcohol or pill taking.

According to Dr Gatt, the programme was going to include Dr Sant following an address he made to a political meeting at Birżebbuġa, but the former Prime Minister then told the programme that he was normal and that it had been a joke.

Magistrate Francesco Dep-asquale noted that last November Dr Gatt had withdrawn the allegations made against Dr Sant.

The court noted that public figures must accept a higher level of criticism.

However, Dr Gatt’s remarks about Dr Sant were unacceptable as they included comments about alcohol and drugs. There was a clear innuendo that these problems were being linked with the former prime minister.