PEN Malta said it is deeply concerned that blogger and author Mark Camilleri is being threatened by former government official Neville Gafa because of his writing.

In a blog post, Gafa addressed Camilleri: "prepare a coffee because I'm going to visit you for a chat. By the way, Ġaħan they've exposed where you live. You should never have trusted them. Did you not realise your mistake especially since you fear they'll expose where you live."

Gafa, a former Office of the Prime Minister official, known for his loyalty to chief of staff Keith Schembri, went on: "The Slavs who live in the same Latin country as yourself send their regards... They're interested in your writing. It's a shame that you write against them."

In a blog post, Camilleri said despite the threat, he was not contacted by the police.

"It was their choice to do nothing, despite witnessing a crime and someone publicly stating their willingness to commit a crime."

PEN Malta said it cannot turn a blind eye to threats directed at journalists, authors, artists and activists and is appealing to the police to investigate the case.

While expressing solidarity with Camilleri, PEN Malta reminded the authorities that Gafa had previously been charged in court for threatening an Italian journalist in the past.

Italian journalist Nello Scavo had testified that Gafà had threatened him when he had warned him: “Stop your dirty business. If not, we will be stopping you.” 

In 2022, a court asked police to investigate claims that Gafà attempted to bribe witnesses to stop them from testifying in a medical visa scam libel case that he lost. Gafa has not faced any charges, despite losing a defamation case that revealed his role in the visa racket.

In recent years, he has openly endorsed far-right leaders, including more recently Russian president Vladimir Putin.