Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi has appealed a ruling given by the Speaker of the House of Representatives in which he was found prima facie guilty of a breach of privilege.
He is contending that the Speaker cannot rule on something which was said not during a parliamentary sitting or parliamentary committee meeting.
MP Chris Cardona complained that a Facebook post by Azzopardi, in which he (Cardona) had been labelled a “liar and corrupt”. Azzopardi did not withdraw the comment and the Speaker, Anglu Farrugia, ruled that he had committed a prima facie breach of privilege.
In his appeal, Azzopardi said it was “inconceivable” how Speaker Anġlu Farrugia could censure a Member of Parliament for something said outside the House, when the aggrieved party could seek redress in court for defamation.
The Speaker’s ruling had set a dangerous precedent as he had vested himself with the right to censure political debates outside parliament rather than recognise there were other remedies available for redress.
Azzopardi called for a revision of the Speaker’s ruling, and that a report is compiled which would have to be included in the minutes of the proceedings of the House.