Nationalist MEP David Casa today spoke of what he described as “coordinated attacks based on fabrications” after it was reported that emails regarding his (Casa’s) alleged irregularities in his use of MEP finances emanated from the computer of a newspaper co-owner.

Times of Malta today reported that Malta Today co-owner Saviour Balzan “shows up as the ‘author’ of two letters sent by a former aide to David Casa about alleged irregularities in the MEP's finances. The emails were drafted on Balzan's computer the night before his newspaper published a story about their contents, TOM reported.

In a first email, a whistleblower claimed the MEP used to spend hundreds of euros on cocaine binges in Maltese hotels between 2009 and 2017. In a second one, the aide alleged that the MEP inflated the salary of one of his assistants, in order to claim the maximum €100,000 allowance provided by the European Parliament.

In reply, Balzan said that "after considering the statements made by the whistleblower, the drafting of the affidavit and verification of statements and other evidence was made in my office, to give this whistleblower maximum confidentiality.

"In the course of our meetings, the whistleblower has used office equipment to draft statements: this does not change anything from the substance of the story or this person's willingness to speak to the EU's anti-fraud agency OLAF," Balzan said.

"It is important that this whistleblower does not get discredited by the press simply to defend the indefensible actions of an elected politician," Balzan said

In a statement, Casa said he was “not shocked by today’s revelations concerning who really wrote ‘whistleblower’ letters. It has been clear that, particularly following my work on the leaked FIAU report calling for police action against Konrad Mizzi, I have been a target. But this level of collusion, deceit and fabrication of “news” is unprecedented and completely inexcusable.”

This revelation is not an isolated case, Casa said. It has further exposed the systemic targeting of government critics by supposedly independent media acting on orders from Castille. “It is outrageous,” Casa said.

“This continuous tirade of fabricated nonsense is not investigative journalism. I have worked tirelessly for the protection of investigative journalism. I will continue to be committed to this cause now more than ever. Our country needs professional journalists who search for truth. I know that the majority of Maltese journalists are such, and encourage them to continue to be unwavering in holding power to account."