The lawyer of a woman accused of perjury – and whose former husband, jailed for two years for defiling his daughter, has been released – is insisting that a Xarabank programme scheduled to interview the man is pulled out.

Contacted by The Malta Independent after the Constitutional Court ordered the temporary conditional release of the man, Dr Martin Fenech said that the court ruling could be reversed if his client is found not guilty. If this happens, the man would have to finish the term he was sentenced to in jail.

The man has not been acquitted, Dr Fenech said. The case against his former wife, Dr Fenech’s client, is still to be heard in court and, until found guilty, the woman is presumed innocent. Yet, Dr Fenech argued, the presence of the man on Malta’s most popular TV show could possibly be incriminating and prejudicial to his client.

Dr Fenech said that he has written to the Broadcasting Authority and Public Broadcasting Services urging them to stop the Xarabank producers from airing the programme.

Asked whether his position as a member of the PBS editorial board is a conflict of interest, Dr Fenech reiterated what he had told this media house last week – that he will not take part in the discussion on the letter he has sent and neither will he be part of the decision that will be taken.

“I am doing what any lawyer would do – defend my client. It is my duty to defend a client who has put her trust in me as a lawyer,” he said.

Asked whether he had threatened presenter Peppi Azzopardi, as was stated by a spokesman for the Home Affairs Ministry last week, Dr Fenech said he was only making his legal arguments when insisting the programme should be pulled out.

He added however that Mr Azzopardi’s bias in favour of the man would lead to an imbalanced programme against his client. PBS guidelines to presenters insist that presenters should show no favouritism towards one side or another, but in this case Mr Azzopardi has made it abundantly clear where his position is, Dr Fenech said.