While PN Leader Adrian Delia claimed that a journalist (Ruth Amaira) pulled out of a debate between the PN leadership contenders after Bernard Grech’s team "tried to influence her", PBS said that the journalist never accepted the offer to moderate the debate in the first place.

In a statement, Delia’s team said that a debate was scheduled for Monday 28 September, “despite resistance by Grech’s team” to not hold such a debate. His team's statement claimed that journalist Ruth Amaira was chosen to moderate the debate. Delia’s team said Amaira had written to the PN’s electoral commission and pulled out of the debate after Grech’s people approached her and “tried to influence her.” 

This situation ended up being denied by, not only Grech, but also PBS (who the journalist works for).

Grech’s team said Delia’s claim was “a lie.”

It said it had contacted the journalist to speak to her about the format of the debate but she promptly informed them that she had already told the electoral commission that she had not accepted to moderate the debate.

It said it was also a lie that there was any form of resistance to the debate. The team had simply asked that the format chosen would not do more harm than good to the party, as had happened in past debates.

“These attempts just as early voting is about to kick off are aimed at trying to confuse the voters,” Grech’s team said.
It said it had led a positive campaign without any attacks and would continue to do so.

Later in the evening, PBS issued a statement of its own.

PBS said that it is not true that Amaira was going to moderate the debate.

 "The journalist herself declared with PBS that she never and in no way confirmed her participation in this debate, actually, she continued refusing  to participate despite the fact that she was approached to moderate it several times from different people."