The Devastating effect of Eddie Fenech Adami’s libellous claim

Malta Independent Tuesday, 21 December 2004, 00:00 Last update: about 11 years ago

LEO BRINCAT

No matter how hard some of the local media might have tried to play down the award of Lm2,000 in libel damages to the opposition leader after Magistrate Silvio Meli upheld Dr Alfred Sant’s libel suit against Eddie Fenech Adami, in the magistrate’s own words the unfounded allegations were made on an occasion when it was obvious that they would have a devastating effect on the electorate at large – coming as they did literally on the eve of the EU referendum campaign.

In his claim, the former Prime Minister alleged that Alfred Sant had presided over a board of examiners regulating entry into the University of Malta when it was manifestly clear from the very beginning that he had not.

Although Dr Fenech Adami’s defence had brought up the “fair comment” claim, this plea did not hold any water.

In the magistrate’s own words: “in order for this plea to succeed, defendant had to prove that the comment was fair and bona fide. A comment that was untrue could not satisfy this criterion.”

There must have been little consolation for the leader of the opposition, whose integrity had been so brutally attacked by the then Prime Minister, when the DOI released a letter in which Dr Fenech Adami instructed his lawyer not to appeal and enclosed a cheque in settlement, to be forwarded to Dr Sant.

The biggest loser of this sad and vicious saga was none other than Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, since the court sentence showed what a poor and bad choice he had made for President of the Republic, possibly against the advice of various prominent members of his own team – as was confirmed recently on Bondiplus, when Nationalist MPs spoke out boldly in disagreement with Gonzi’s choice for President.

Given that the presidential appointment was made when the above-mentioned legal proceedings were already underway, underlines even further Gonzi’s erratic behaviour, particularly if he was after a unifying personality who enjoyed the support of the majority of the electorate.

In other countries, a President who has been found guilty by the law courts of libelling the leader of the opposition when the former was still a serving Prime Minister would have found the honourable way out by stepping down… and resigning.

But, alas, in Malta a totally different culture seems to prevail among the political class!

Who drew Memmo to our shores?

Last Friday former Minister John Dalli took strong exception to my claim that whenever Roberto Memmo came to Malta he invariably met a few VIPs, foremost of which was Minister Dalli himself. His main argument of defence was that since he was the minister responsible for the Chambray project on behalf of the government, who did I expect Memmo to meet when he came to Malta to discuss the project?

Although certain local media played down the following, in the same breadth former Minister Dalli insinuated that, as remodelled, the project would be lacking the thrust and vision of the original concept.

Given Memmo’s apparently shady track record, it would be in the public interest to find out who enticed him to our shores: whether he was hand-picked or whether he came to Malta by way of third parties’ introduction or else whether he had come here on his own initiative.

Although the Nationalists – this time around – did not raise a finger to defend Memmo’s track record and connections, I suggest that you read, for a start, the following two books by Massimo Teodori, a former Italian Radical Party official:

•La Banda Sindona: Storia Di Un Ricatto – Democrazia Cristiana, Vaticano, Bankitalia, P2, Mafia, Servizzi Segreti

•P2: La Controstoria

As can be confirmed by the book’s indices, they abound with detailed references to Roberto Memmo. Is it possible that government did not know about all this when Memmo came to Malta?

The books were written in 1982 and 1986!!