The Nationalist Party and its media no longer need to appear before the Privileges Committee after a correction to an earlier report which had misquoted Home Minister Byron Camilleri was published on Wednesday, Speaker Anglu Farrugia ruled.

On Monday, the Speaker had referred the PN and its media to the Privileges Committee after failing to issue the correction requested by the minister and ordered by the Speaker.

After this ruling, the PN had sought a meeting with the Speaker to clarify their position and on Wednesday morning the party media issued the requested correction as specified. At the end of the Wednesday morning sitting, the Speaker ruled that they no longer need to appear before the committee.

The PN media had claimed that Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri blamed a magistrate for the police allegedly mistakenly storming an incorrect address in Swieqi. After reviewing the official parliamentary record, the Speaker confirmed that the Minister never made such a remark, and ordered a correction.

This correction did not materialise within the timeframe established by the Speaker, which led to his original ruling referring the matter to the Privileges Committee. After Wednesday's correction, this is no longer required.

In a statement, the Labour Party said the PN had to withdraw last week's "lie" on Minister Byron Camilleri.

The party remarked that although it corrected its article on the PN media, the PN did not issue any public statements to correct itself.

It is precisely the behaviour of those who were dishonest with the people and caught up, the PL said.

Furthermore, when the Leader of the Opposition, Alex Borg, was asked, he defended this type of behaviour and thus embraced it, the party said

The PL also quoted Minister Byron Camilleri saying he will "continue to expose these lies because these lies have no place in politics. Our society does not deserve lies, but good decisions and actions."