Simon Busuttil wins libel damages over Kullħadd article

Former Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil has been awarded €1,000 in damages over a defamatory article which had made the front page of a local Sunday paper in 2014 titled ‘Direct Orders for Simon’.

The former deputy leader of the Labour Party, Toni Abela, had originally sued for libel in his capacity as former editor of ‘Kullħadd’, but was eventually replaced as respondent in the suit by current editor Aleander Balzan, when he was appointed judge. The article had alleged that at the time when Dr Busuttil occupied a seat in the European Parliament, the Maltese law firm in which he was shareholder, had benefitted from €0.5 million in consultancy fees for services rendered to the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs.

Under the sub-title ‘A Boxing Day Gift for Busuttil’s company’ the writer alleged that Europa Research and Consultancy Services Limited, in which Dr Busuttil held a 16.7% shareholding, had been awarded three contracts in 2012 for the total value of €34,000.

The same company had also been contracted to provide consultancy services relative to the opening of a wine bar, the same story had continued.

In the course of libel proceedings, Dr Abela had argued that he had...