MCST chairman and former PN MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has attacked Magistrate Francesco Depasquale, who yesterday denied a request by the PM for a libel case he filed against Daphne Caruana Galizia to be heard with urgency.

In a Facebook post, Dr Pullicino Orlando said the magistrate was too busy to hear a case that had brought the country to a halt. “Let us call a spade, a spade – Shame on you,” he posted.  

Magistrate Depasquale yesterday said the court was "tied up with several other cases and there are no reasons for this particular case to be given priority to the detriment of other cases the court is currently hearing which are also considered to be important".

The libels were filed following allegations that the PM’s wife is the ultimate beneficial owner of Egrant, a company that was set up in Panama.

The DOI said the Prime Minister was dismayed by this decision but will respect it and is ready to cooperate in all stages of the proceedings.

Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando is often criticized for his partisan and/or controversial Facebook comments, seeing that he is the chairman of a state entity.

Before his rant against the magistrate, the former MP posted a quote from Adolf Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ in an attempt to discredit the Opposition’s claims.