V18 chairman Jason Micallef hit out at Xarabank presenter Peppi Azzopardi, saying all sense of decency has been lost, in reference to the Liam Debono interview controversy.

Micallef claimed that Azzopardi in 'the rudest and filthiest manner' had created a 'divisive' debate over a case that had shocked the country just a few months ago.

"I have no doubt that the filth because there is no other word for what Joe Azzopardi is saying at the moment, is nothing but a 'marketing stunt' of which he is an expert," Micallef said in a Facebook post.

Malta had created a presenter that posed as a champion for the underprivileged, Micallef said. The post continued to say that Azzopardi "insists that Friday evenings on PBS was a right left to him by his grandfather for 20 whole years."

Micallef also expressed his dismay at the management of PBS for letting a presenter cause it embarrassment, by attacking and challenging a magistrate's decision. He further noted that he is surprised by the Broadcasting Authority's silence who he said is letting such stupidities air on a state station paid by the taxpayers money.

His outburst came after last week Magistrate Joe Mifsud issued a gagging order that prevented Xarabank from airing an interview with Debono.

Debono stands accused of the attempted murder of police officer Simon Schembri earlier this year. The Magistrate said he wanted to avoid a trial by media. Xarabank host Peppi Azzopardi has insisted that the interview had nothing to do with the court case.

In a joint statement the editors of The Malta Independent, the Times of Malta, Malta Today and Lovin Malta, have expressed concern over the magistrate's gagging order.