Lawyer Joe Zammit Maempel, appearing on behalf of former EU Permanent Representative Richard Cachia Caruana, told former EU Commissioner John Dalli in court today that Steve Mallia had only produced one article in The Times before Mr Dalli was asked to resign.

Dr Zammit Maempel argued that one article could not have possibly led to Mr Dalli's resignation.

Mr Dalli had testifed in court that there were concerted efforts by certain journalists to write articles against him, and which eventually led to his resignation.

(Richard Cachia Caruana)

He was testifying in the libel case filed by Mr Cachia Caruana against Saviour Balzan, managing editor of Maltatoday for an article 'Why people will protest and not vote', published on 24 May, 2009.

Mr Dalli had told a court that he could control attacks against him during Eddie Fenech Adami's tenure as prime minister but under Dr Gonzi's he couldn't.

Mr Dalli told a court that attacks leading to his resignation by the media came from media houses such as The Times, The Malta Independent, and national TV station PBS.

"When I eventually resigned I gave a number of reasons why I was doing so, highlighting the attacks which were made in my regard by the newspapers mentioned above," Mr Dalli said.

"In 2008, I had been asked by Dr Gonzi if I wanted to be EU Commissioner. At first I did not accept but following a discussion with Dr Gonzi, I accepted," Mr Dalli said.

In 2008, Dr Gonzi had stated that "what was said about me" had never been confirmed, Mr Dalli said.

He said that Steve Mallia, today The Sunday Times editor, had called him to tell him that RCC was using him to write articles against me.

Dr Zammit Maempel said that there was nothing wrong with the only article published on Mr Dalli in The Times, reiterating that it was the only one article published on him.

Mr Dalli also pointed out that then TV presenter Lou Bondi once blabbed that one of his programmes was the "cause of my resignation".

When asked to present the articles in court he claimed Daphne Caruana Galizia had published about him, Mr Dalli said that he did not have any articles in hand she wrote at the time but said he would produce them in court.

OLAF investigation

Mr Dalli said that when Giovanni Kessler came to his office for the first time (Kessler was handling Dalli's investigation on behalf of OLAF, the EU's anti fraud office), on that same day, Mr Cachia Caruana had tried to convince him to write a statement that "I always knew him (Richard Cachia Caruana) as being a gentleman and I do not agree with what then PN MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando was doing to him (Richard Cachia Caruana) at the time".

This happened at the time when a vote was taken in parliament tied to RCC's role as Malta's EU permanent representative. He was voted out. JPO was one of the MP's who had voted against RCC.

The case will continue on 24 November for Mr Dalli to produce more evidence in court, such as what he claimed were a number of articles penned by Daphne Caruana Galizia and other journalists.