In the footsteps of Economy Minister Chris Cardona, his aide Joe Gerada has now also dropped his libel case against Daphne Caruana Galizia. They have both opted not to try to clear their names after all.
They now prefer to live with the reputational damage which, they argued, she caused them. This has made any damage worse. Continuing the case would, of course, mean revealing their mobile phone data to show where they actually were on that fateful day in Germany in January 2017. And the focus is no longer on the rights and wrongs of visiting sex clubs when travelling on official business – people mainly want to know whether or not a senior government minister was telling the truth.
Cardona’s claim that Caruana Galizia’s reports were “fake news” is now much harder to absorb. His actions tell a different story. Daphne had requested the mobile phone records as evidence, while Cardona and Gerada, by dropping the case, may cause this evidence to be destroyed – or to remain unheard.
If people are accused of something which is untrue, it is normal to want to set the record straight. Especially when that accusation has huge implications on their reputation or career. It is not always possible for disputes to be solved on objective, factual evidence. This is one such case, with the facts available, yet the accused are actively allowing the evidence to be discarded.
Cardona was undoubtedly very upset by Caruana Galizia’s reports that he had visited a sex club, together with Gerada. The allegations were clearly serious and he denied them furiously. He even took the extreme measure of requesting a precautionary warrant and freezing her assets. He persisted with this, despite widespread condemnation. She was still struggling with this financial situation last October, when she was killed on her way to the bank.
When he was elected deputy leader of the Labour Party in 2016, Cardona had ominously threatened that if anyone harms the PL politically, he would hit back harder. Hit by a sword (sejf) he would respond with an axe (mannara).
The example of a senior government minister freezing an independent journalist’s assets was considered as very dangerous to the media as a whole. Such actions threaten to cripple journalists financially, potentially jeopardising their livelihood – especially in view of the length of time which it can take to resolve libel court cases.
Chris Cardona has chosen to let the story stand. If it was a resignation matter then, it still is one now
Back then, Daphne’s critics had argued that the credibility of serious journalists depends upon putting the truth first, and not selling a damaging story which cannot be proven. But the tables are turning.
Cardona had an opportunity to try to disprove and discredit Caruana Galizia, even now a year after her violent murder. He could show the Maltese public his mobile phone records of that day in January, when she said that he had visited the Acapulco Club in Germany. Assuming he stated the truth and was not there, this data would surely exonerate him.
Were the allegations solid enough to stand up in court? We may now never know for sure, but the withdrawal of the libel cases speaks volumes. Cardona has chosen to let the story stand. If it was a resignation matter then, it still is one now.
Villa in need of protection
A word of praise is due to the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage, sadly more accustomed to coming under fire than to being commended by the public. Only this week the latest reproach came from the Malta Developers Association, which complained that the SCH should be more efficient, and that it is causing unnecessary delays in the processing and vetting of development applications.
Typically, the MDA did not pay much attention to the ongoing assault on Malta’s cultural heritage due to the ongoing building frenzy all over the island, but only raised concerns about potential increased costs for developers and delays on construction projects. As though they aren’t raking enough in already “making hay while the sun shines”, to use the MDA head’s own phrase.
It is only fair to point out that the SCH backlog is largely due to their chronic lack of adequate resources. We have heard all too often that new staff are on their way to the heritage watchdog but, mysteriously, they rarely seem to arrive at their destination. The SCH workload has also increased exponentially, following the redrafting of the planning laws with the MEPA demerger. The Culture Minister should address this situation with some urgency.
The Superintendence has, however, fortunately managed to find the time to push for the scheduling of an outstanding old country villa and its garden in Attard as a Grade One property. This is Villa Barbaro, also known as ‘Bellosguardo’, a beautiful old house in the village core. In order to protect Villa Barbaro from encroaching threats, the owners themselves also pressed for this scheduling – and very well done to them. Din l-Art Ħelwa too strongly supported the initiative.
Let’s hope that the Planning Authority boards and case officers will follow suit and ensure that no future developments will spoil the features of this gorgeous historic house, as well as the setting of its lovely old garden.
petracdingli@gmail.com
This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece