Prime Minister Robert Abela said that there has been continuous consultation with the Institute of Maltese Journalists on the proposed media reform bills which were tabled in Parliament this week.

The bills have been a topic of controversy both for their contents and for the fact that the government has not opened a public consultation on them.

Abela said that one of the first choices made with regards to the media experts committee which was tasked with analysing and providing feedback on the bills was to install retired judge Michael Mallia as its chairperson, after he had chaired the public inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder.

Abela said that this was done after consultation with IGM and other stakeholders.

“We have had continuous consultation with IGM,” he said.

The Institute of Maltese Journalists (IGM) is requesting the withdrawal of the bills related to the media as presented by the government and is prepared to withdraw from the Committee of Experts unless a "meaningful consultation" exercise takes place to review the proposals.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, the IGM's members on the committee - President Matthew Xuereb and Secretary General Kurt Sansone, said they are disappointed by the legislation on media protection put forward by the government after the Committee concluded its work on the first part of its remit. "We regret to note that the most salient recommendations made by the Committee were ignored or seriously watered down in the Bills presented by government," the letter read.

In comments to the media, Abela said that he met with Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family three times, in their presence he also met with their lawyer, Therese Comodini Cachia. He said that they discussed who the members of this committee should be.

He also revealed that IGM had even contested against certain people being on the committee and their feedback was heard.

Whilst these consultations with these parties were ongoing they had tabled the proposed acts. He said that anybody had the opportunity to voice their concerns in that time period.

These five acts were also presented to the committee of experts who were given two months to evaluate these acts. He added that the committee could have consulted with whomever it wished.

Following this evaluation period, the committee presented the acts to the government and it amended them accordingly.

“Now the next step begins, which is a parliamentary debate,” Abela said.

He said that this debate is another opportunity for the acts to be amended if there is the need to do so.

Asked about the future of Gozo Channel, Abela said that the company concession had expired in 2017 and the public service obligation related to it was being extended every few months.

He said that at such a stage one must go towards an open public tender “where the call is going to be an open one.”

Challenged on whether conditions are going to be set so that the private sector is not attracted to it, the Prime minister said that when it comes to “public procurement there are no games under this government.” 

Asked about the three police officers who have recently been charged in court for allegedly beating migrants, the Prime Minister said that the police force cannot be put into one basket due to one case.

He said that he is sure that the majority of law enforcement professionals do their job with the respect and dignity that such a title carries.

Referring to the case of the three police constables who were arrested last week, he said that the law enforcement personnel were very quick to act on the case.

“We have seen how the police have acted immediately, wherein these three accused were brought before the magistrate immediately and were not given bail whilst charges were filed.”