A magistrate has thrown out a libel claim by an activist who felt insulted by comments by a former MP who claimed on Twitter she had been fired from her job.

Civil society activist Rachel Williams had filed a case against former minister Chris Cardona over a tweet she felt was defamatory in her regard.

The court, presided over by Magistrate Rachel Montebello, heard how Cardona posted a reply to the activist in July 2020, asking, “Didn’t you get a life after being fired from BOV”. This prompted an immediate retort by Williams: “Now that is precious. I wasn’t fired. I resigned. Why? Did you try to get me fired?”

She filed libel proceeding, claiming that the post was defamatory and intended to tarnish her reputation. She also claimed she could not find a stable job after the tweet.

But Magistrate Montebello observed that the tweet came three and a half years after she had left the Bank of Valletta job so it could have hardly influenced her job searches. Moreover, the comment had to be seen in the context in which it was said.

She said there was no inference that the alleged dismissal was attributable to conduct that merited dismissal or to facts or circumstances that discredited her.

It was made in relation to a person who exposed herself to criticism when she regularly attacked Cardona publicly and insulted him repeatedly, challenging him to reply immediately before he answered with the declaration over which the libel was filed.

Moreover, the court ruled that Williams failed to prove that the statement had caused her “serious harm” as laid down in the law. She also failed to show Cardona’s following on Twitter and on which she claimed serious reputational harm.

Lawyers Andrew Borg Cardona and Eve Borg Costanzi represented Williams.