I would like to correct the grossly unfair misrepresentation of facts as presented by Noel Grima when reporting a clash between Charles Polidano and Dr Claire Bonello (TMIS, 25 June).

In a sense it is not surprising that the story was so biased and one sided, because at no time did Mr Grima, the editor of this newspaper, confirm his facts with those in his story he chose to malign so glibly, namely Mr Polidano and his employees.

This whole unfortunate incident was instigated by the attention seeking behaviour of Dr Bonello, who behaved in a totally inappropriate manner and de facto instigated the whole incident. It is astonishing that a supposedly well-educated lawyer and columnist should resort to lying, and, totally unprovoked, hurl insults at Mr Polidano (calling him a drug baron repeatedly), when there is absolutely no truth in this at all. If Dr. Bonello thinks anyone who employs hundreds of people is a drug baron then perhaps she needs to go back to school and not just to law school.

On the evening in question, Mr Polidano was dining peacefully in his own hotel. For some reason known only to her, but which certainly smacks of arrogance and a lack of good manners, Dr Bonello walked past his table and asked the lawyer dining with Mr. Polidano if he was now eating with barons.

Unbelievably, Mr Grima implied this could have been a joke, when he was not present to witness either the tone or the attitude and demeanour of Dr Bonello, nor did he check this with anyone who was present. When a Polidano employee tried to calm Dr Bonello down (and definitely not shouting abuse at her as your report stated), Dr Bonello became even more agitated and added to her insults by then calling Mr Polidano a drug baron, facts which were witnessed by others but which were not reported, or conveniently ignored.

Mr Polidano obviously regrets reacting to this terrible insult, but he was unduly and unnecessarily provoked, and few would not react to being labelled “drug baron” without any cause, provocation, or reason whatsoever.

Jesmond Manicaro

Polidano Group