Cyrus Engerer has withdrawn his candidature for the European Parliament election after being found guilty of distributing pornography.

Later, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat backed Mr Engerer's claim of persecution.

In a statement issued at 6.30am this morning, Mr Engerer said that on Thursday evening he had informed the Prime Minister that he will not be contesting the election.

The decision was taken because, he said, he does not want that “an unjust judgment in my regard throws a bad light on the Labour Party which is close to my heart, or on the Prime Minister in whom I have full confidence.”

“What I went through,” he added, “is a result of the decision I took in 2011 to join the PL. The real motives behind the procedures against me, together with other facts such as the persecution of my parents and family, are easily reached by all, and emerged also from the inquiry ordered by former Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici.”

At the same time, he said that given the chance he would have done what he did three years ago, and “join the movement, because I believe that the country needed and still needs a change”.

He concluded his statement saying that he took the decision to withdraw from the election because he believed politicians must lead by example and carry responsibilities. He will still however work incessantly for the PL to obtain the best support possible in the EP election.

Asked by journalists, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that he backed Mr Engerer's claim of persecution. The case was brought up after Mr Engerer left the Nationalist Party to join Labour, the PM said.

Dr Muscat said that the PL did not exert any pressure on Mr Engerer to withdraw his candidature. Mr Engerer took the decision on his own, he said. Our candidates are gentlemen enough to know what to do, he added.

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