Lawyer Franco Debono will drop charges against a PN activist who had made threats of violence against him, following a public apology he made just days before he was due to appear in court.
Nationalist Party activist Charles Zammit apologised for making threats against the former PN MP in a group chat on popular messaging platform WhatsApp.
Zammit last November left a voice note – a recorded audio message – in the group chat which hosts dozens of people, mostly Nationalist Party supporters.
“I won’t rest until I smash his face,” the audio recording, heard by Times of Malta, plays.
However, in a post uploaded on Saturday, Zammit apologised to the former MP, who accepted the move and forgave him for the incident. Debono is expected to drop the criminal complaint when Zammit appears before the Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
Zammit regretted the remarks he passed about Debono which he had said in the heat of the moment during a discussion between a group of friends, he said. At no time did he plan to do what he said, he pointed out.
“I never wanted to hurt or harm Dr Franco Debono nor was it my intention to persuade anyone else to do any harm to Dr Debono. I believe that he is a valid man, a capable professional and a strong defender of human rights and everything that makes a strong democracy. That is why I am apologizing to Debono and publicly extending the hand of friendship to work together for the good of democracy. I believe in free speech and sincere dialogue without hatred,” he said in his post.
Debono thanks Zammit for his “genuine comment”, accepted his apology and forgave him for the incident.
Debono had served as a Nationalist MP during the 2008 to 2013 legislature but ended that term after a series of clashes with then-party leader Lawrence Gonzi and former home affairs minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici over constitutional and judicial reforms he was proposing.
Scenes of Debono speaking in a raised voice at the recording studio of popular current events show Xarabank were being discussed in the WhatsApp chat when Zammit made the threatening remarks.