GozoNews.Com

The Ministry for Gozo has just issued the following statement regarding the Nadur lands controversy:

“Minister Giovanna Debono earlier today filed a libel suit at the Civil Court, through her lawyer, against the MLP electronic journal maltastar.com... and the Labour Party’s weekly Kull Hadd. This against an article entitled ”Giovanna Debono ‘Tabbuza’ mis-sahha ta’ Agent Prim” published in the Sunday paper Kull hadd of the 6th April 2008.

Minister Giovanna Debono categorically denies the allegations made against her in the said article. This article contained serious accusations through false and defamatory allegations in Hon. Giovanna Debono’s regard as Acting Prime Minister in Prime Minister’s Lawrence Gonzi’s absence. Subsequently these false allegations were also spread by means of the Labour Party’s electronic journal maltastar.com....

In the published articles, journalists maliciously used Government Notices nos: 284 and 285 featured on page 1 of Government Gazette of the 3rd April 2008. These two notices are in no way related to each other and neither do they have any relevance to each other whatsoever.

Giovanna Debono as Acting Prime Minister was at no point approached nor was she requested to take any decision regarding the case alleged in the articles in question. In fact, the procedures involving cases of land expropriation for public use, in no way involve the Office of the Prime Minister. So much so that notice no: 285 published in the Government Gazette of the 3rd April 2008, which refers to the ‘Acquisition of land’ in question, was signed by the President of Malta and this fact was also confirmed by the Office of the Prime Minister in a Press Release issued on the 10th April 2008.

All this confirms the malicious and devious manner used by those who wrote and published these articles, in order to unjustly denigrate the Hon. Giovanna Debono by defaming her in her capacity as Minister for Gozo as well as at the time when she was carrying out the duties of Acting Prime Minister. These articles deviously and maliciously used circumstances in order to defame or put in doubt the integrity and credibility of Giovanna Debono.

Consequently the Minister for Gozo had to apply for legal action against the Labour Party media who was involved in the writing and spreading of these false allegations.”