Mizzi complains he was not asked to give evidence

Labour MP and former minister Joe Mizzi said yesterday that although he was being accused of political discrimination against the Nationalist Party following the decision taken by the constitutional court in the Gharghur antenna case, he was never even summoned to give evidence before the court.

The court on Thursday awarded the PN compensation of Lm20,000 for discrimination after the Wireless Telegraphy Department and the police in June 1998 stopped Net Television from using the master antenna at Gharghur. The defendants had claimed they had acted on verbal orders by Mr Mizzi, who was the minister responsible for broadcasting.

Speaking in parliament yesterday, Mr Mizzi reacted to the court sentence and a subsequent statement by the Nationalist Party, insisting that he was politically solely responsible for the actions taken in 1998 and he had a clear conscience.

Mr Mizzi said it was true that he did not have much confidence in the courts, but in this case he would not blame the court for what had happened because the court took its decision on the basis of the evidence before it.

The former police commissioner and the Director of Wireless Telegraphy, against whom the case had been instituted had never called him to give evidence, even though it was the commissioner's duty to present all evidence to reveal the truth. Both the former commissioner and the director were Nationalists, and the fact that they had not asked him to give evidence showed that the case was orchestrated so that it would be won by the Nationalist Party and it would be awarded compensation.

The court was told lies, and he would challenge anyone to a debate on an independent television station where he would show the truth, including how the antenna could not support further transmissions and that there was someone in the Wireless Telegraphy Department who falsified documents.

Mr Mizzi said the way how he was not called to give evidence in such a case, when he had been the responsible minister, undermined democracy

On a point of order, Mr Mario Galea (PN) pointed out that the court case was instituted at the time of the Labour government and when the former commissioner was still in his post.

Mr Mizzi said he had not interfered to tell the commissioner what to do.

Continuing, he said this case was an example of how democracy was undermined.