The GWU’s Sunday newspaper It-Torca has been ordered to pay more than €23,000 in five libel cases decided by Magistrate Francesco Depasquale.

One of the libelled persons, Wayne Lee Valentine, a MITA employee was awarded the maximum €11,646.87. The newspaper had alleged that when Mr Valentine was seconded to Enemalta Corporation, he passed sensitive information to BWSC, the company which won the controversial Delimara power station extension contract.

Magistrate Depasquale said the article in question, published on 14 March, 2010 was the result of gutter journalism, the editor having failed to carry out his duty in reporting the case.

The article alleged that Mr Valentine passed confidential information to a colleague, Reuben Portanier, at MITA, whose father in law was BWSC’s local agent. The newspaper, the magistrate said, relied on allegations originating from sources who then did not back them up. Editor Aleks Farrugia had abused the media to give information to the reader without distinguishing between facts and conjectures.

In another case, It-Torca was ordered to pay €5,000 to Minister George Pullicino, and a similar amount to Notary Tony Abela for an article published shortly before the 2008 general election, linking the two to corruption.

In other cases, the newspaper was ordered to pay €1,000 and €500 on a report that production houses were being paid for publicity at Mater Dei Hospital. The cases were against the former PRO of former Minister Michael Frendo, Christian Scicluna, today PRO at Mater Dei, and Sabrina Mullegen.