The Prime Minister’s chief of staff yesterday conceded that he forwarded an e-mail sent to the Prime Minister to television presenter Lou Bondì but quickly added he was exonerated by the Data Protection Commissioner.
Edgar Galea Curmi was being cross-examined by lawyer Toni Abela in a case instituted by Mr Galea Curmi against Malta Today’s managing editor Saviour Balzan.
Taking the witness stand, Mr Galea Curmi said he felt defamed by the article entitled Throwback To Mintoffian Times in which it was alleged he had leaked a story to Mr Balzan about former Green party leader Harry Vassallo and his outstanding VAT payments.
It was claimed that Mr Galea Curmi had gone to Mr Balzan’s house to give him details of the story.
Testifying, Mr Curmi denied having revealed anything because he did not have the information when he went to Mr Balzan’s house. One would have been stupid to believe that the story would have done any good to the Nationalist electoral campaign, and one would be even more stupid to leak this story to Malta Today, which was so anti-government, Mr Galea Curmi said.
He found out about Mr Vassallo following a press conference during the last electoral campaign when Nationalist Party journalist Ray Abdilla asked him about his outstanding VAT payments.
Mr Galea Curmi said he had written to former director of the courts Paul Miruzzi to find out what this case was all about since the police were to institute proceedings.
In cross-examination, Mr Galea Curmi said he had gone to Mr Balzan’s house in February 2008 because the latter had asked him to since a member of his family was seriously ill and he could not leave the house.
During their conversation, they spoke primarily about problems within the hospital’s oncology department and how they could be solved.
Referring back to why he felt the article defamed him, Mr Galea Curmi said the manner in which the article was written made it seem as if he had done something against the father of former Nationalist Party local councillor Cyrus Engerer.
In another article, Mr Galea Curmi said, Mr Balzan also alleged that during the same visit he had leaked information about alleged mental problems suffered by a certain Jo Said.
The two allegations, about Harry Vassallo and Jo Said, came out three-and-a-half years after they happened, Mr Galea Curmi said. They were an attempt to back up arguments that he had allegedly acted against Cyrus Engerer.
Mr Galea Curmi recalled that during his visit Mr Balzan had brought up the subject about Mr Said’s alleged mental health problems and in reply he told him that the Prime Minister disliked the use of such information during an electoral campaign.
In cross-examination, Mr Galea Curmi said Mr Said had filed an official complaint with the Data Protection Commissioner about an e-mail which Mr Galea Curmi forwarded to a third party.
This e-mail, written by Mr Said, praised the work of the Prime Minister, however shortly afterwards on television Mr Said criticised the Prime Minister, Mr Galea Curmi said.
When asked whom he forwarded the e-mail to, Mr Galea Curmi said it was to television presenter Lou Bondì. He quickly added that the Data Protection Commissioner had exonerated him and found he had acted correctly.
Asked if this e-mail was forwarded before or after the meeting with Mr Balzan, Mr Galea Curmi said he did not know and had to check.
At this point Magistrate Depasquale asked Dr Abela what this had to do with the case before the lawyer started shouting at the magistrate and was fined €250.