l-orizzont editor Frans Ghirxi was found guilty last Friday by the Civil Court in two cases of libelling two former ministers, Louis Galea and Ninu Zammit.

On 19 April 2001, the newspaper published a full-page advert entitled Hbieb tal-Hbieb (Friends of Friends) with an excerpt from the diary of Ciro del Negro and photos of Mr Zammit and Dr Galea and with arrows linking them to parts of the diary.

The court, presided over by Mr Justice Gino Camilleri, found that the paper had connected the two former ministers to drug running without proving there was substance in this allegation.