Nickie Vella de Fremeaux, the outspoken wife of Opposition Leader Adrian Delia, has launched a tirade against Pierre Portelli, the PN’s media chief and a close friend of the PN Leader.
Vella de Fremeaux has accused Portelli of ‘stealing’ a TV drama series written by Sandro Vella, who she says feels humiliated by the action.
‘Fattigi’ is produced by Portelli’s company, Watermelon Media, and airs on Net Television – the PN’s TV station. Portelli had already argued that there was no conflict of interest, explaining that he was no longer involved in Watermelon and that his wife, who runs the company, would not be remunerated for the TV show.
Now, Nickie Vella de Fremeaux has accused him of stealing the drama she claims was written by Sandro Vella.
Quoting copyright law, Vella de Fremeaux says that copyright infringement is a crime that carries a maximum jail term of three years and a fine of up to €11,646.87.
“It is also illegal to erase the identity of the real without and replace his name with that of an imposter. Such was the case here,” she wrote. “I trust that this is simply owing to the fact that someone is ignorant of the law and didn’t consult with his lawyers before this all got out of hand.”
Vella de Fremeaux said she had thus far refrained from writing about the issue because it concerns two friends. “I once again for the umpteenth time call upon all those concerned urging them to sit around a table with their respective legal counsel in the hope that business integrity finally prevails; the scam ended, and any dissension erased once and for all.”
She also said she was taken aback by the lack of interest, including by journalists, to report the “unsettling alleged criminal events that cruelly taunted him (Vella) for months, making him feel stripped and robbed of his property and rights - his only sin being the lack of funds to sue those who allegedly robbed him.”
Replying, Portelli told Vella de Fremeaux that she has “no idea of the details of this sad episode in my life.”
“You were fed lies and half-truths but didn’t take the time to listen to the other side of the story. You have no idea what this man put me, my wife and other people through. I have refrained from commenting in public waiting for reason to prevail but you’ve let yourself to be weaponised against me and my family, against Medialink, against decent cast and crew and ultimately against the party your husband leads. Truth will prevail, Justice will be done.”
Sandro Vella later invited Portelli to divulge the details in public, adding that he had nothing to hide.
In another post, Vella said he wanted to settle the issue out of court but would not allow anyone to steamroll over him.