Magistrate Carol Peralta clarified in a statement to the press today that when he used the word ‘insignificant’ in his press conference yesterday, he was not referring to the comments made by the government and the opposition, but the whole issue which developed on Thursday and was blown out of proportion 'by a particular section of the media which was, and still is an interested party, in that the case involved a person who allegedly works for the same media."

Magistrate Peralta said that while he disagreed with some comments made, he respected the comments made by politicians and others and considered that the most suitable forum to determine the issue was the Commission for the Administration of Justice.

Magistrate Peralta is in the eye of a storm for having held a party in his courtoom and with having ordered the arrest of Times of Malta reporter Ivan Martin who tried to take a picture of what was happening.

The Commission is expected to hold its first meeting about the case next week.

(A recording of the magistrate's comment is carried above)

MAGISTRATE TO FILE PRESS ETHICS COMPLAINT

In a statement, Magistrate Peralta said he would file a complaint before the  Press Ethics Commission to investigate the possible abusive and illegal actions of Ivan Martin including whether he was really a journalist as no form of identification had been produced. He would be doing so, he said, even though the commission was toothless. He would do so without prejudice to investigations by the authorities, including the police.

The magistrate said he would also write to Parliamentary Secretary for Justice Owen Bonnici to protest over the current press law and seek a revision to reflect the realities of a modern country in the EU.

Concluding, Magistrate Peralta quoted a comment by the Chief Justice on June 8, 2012 carried in The Times of Malta:  “I refuse to cooperate with, and thereby encourage by answering your queries, the kind of deplorable sensation – seeking tabloid reporting which the Times of Malta has been resorting to as of late.”