Former journalist Glenn Beddingfield was yesterday ordered to pay Lm2,500 in libel damages to Education Minister Louis Galea.

Dr Galea had taken exception to allegations made against him by Mr Beddingfield in the book Hbieb tal-hbieb (Friends of Friends).

These false and unfounded allegations, he said, were libellous, defamatory and intended solely to tarnish his good name. He also said that various passages in the book put at risk his integrity and his reputation. Countering, Mr Beddingfield said that the passages referred to by Dr Galea were not libellous and consisted of faithful news reporting.

The court, after weighing up all the evidence, said that the nasty approach taken by the defendant in the allegations he made, merited a fine which was close to the maximum possible.

Mr Justice Giannino Caruana Demajo said that the one consoling thing was that the book, published under the premise of investigative journalism, was very obviously political partisan writing and whoever reads it knows that it should be taken cum grano salis (taken with a pinch of salt).