Independent MP Rosianne Cutajar has said that she will be dropping a libel case she had filed against author Mark Camilleri over allegations he made about her.
Posting on Facebook, Cutajar said: "As you know, I recently made a request with the Labour Party structures regarding my return to the PL Parliamentary Group. With respect towards this process, and due to the fact that circumstances, and that priorities in my life, totally changed, I feel it is not useful or important to continue with the legal proceedings I launched three years ago," she said. "This, also with respect to my family's private life."
She said that there is no compensation from the court "that can do me justice after insensitive and cruel actions I suffered," she wrote. "I look forward to continue working with the people, for the people, as I have done these past 14 years."
Cutajar had filed for libel over a Facebook post of Camilleri's, in which he had alleged that the MP had accepted payment from Yorgen Fenech in return for defending him from corruption allegations.
Also posting on Facebook, Mark Camilleri said that Cutajar had lost the criminal case against him, and now dropped the libel case over his "truthful writings." He said: "I wrote the truth, and for this Rosianne Cutajar tried to silence me, bully me in front of everyone and in public, and even tried to take my money." He said that he is not going to accept the withdrawal of the libel case. Instead, he said, he is "going to prepare all the legal paperwork necessary for the police to prosecute Rosianne Cutajar."
Cutajar had resigned under pressure from the Labour Party following the publication of Whatsapp chats between her and Yorgen Fenech. The chats occurred between June and September 2019, and showed the close relationship that the MP had with Fenech at a time when he was under scrutiny for being the owner of 17 Black. Fenech was, later in November that year, arrested over the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
She had remained in Parliament as an independent MP.
Prime Minister Robert Abela has, however, opened the door for Cutajar as well as others to return to the Labour Party. In January, Abela has stated that he is open to see both Rosianne Cutajar and Justyne Caruana return to the Labour Party should they wish, but said that neither of them have made an official request to come back to the party.
Cutajar has, since then, made a request. On 27 January, Abela said that the Labour Party's parliamentary group was set to discuss her possible reintegration. "She requested to be reintegrated with the Labour Party parliamentary group, and this will be discussed by the party structures," Abela said.
The Times of Malta reported on Thursday that the PL Parliamentary Group has held that meeting. Quoting party sources, the newspaper said that the PL Parliamentary Group was "positive to her return," but also reported that the decision would be up to the party's executive and not the parliamentary group alone to decide on whether she would be allowed to return.