The Broadcasting Authority has found PBS guilty again of broadcasting partisan political advertising, violating its obligation to impartiality and breaching a BA directive on Budget advertisements, the Nationalist Party said.

The BA decision, which was taken on December 11, refered to violations registered on four occasions in October and November last year and came after a previous violation that had already landed the public broadcaster with a fine of  €9,320 for airing two 'political' budget spots without the Authority’s approval.

The PN pointed out that after PBS continued to defy a court order and kept airing political advertisements, the BA had instructed PBS not to broadcast any Budget-related advertisement without its approval. As part of its decision, the BA instructed PBS to broadcast the news of its decision during the news bulletin within two days.

In its statement PN accused PBS of burying the news “on Christmas Eve, with the decisions being read at 8.30pm, towards the end of the bulletin.”

PBS was fined thousands of euros for each of the breaches. The PN said it "hopes these fines will be paid by those who broke the law and not by the Maltese and Gozitan people.”

The PN further accused PBS of delivering the news “in a way that was incomprehensible, with no reference to the cases PBS was found guilty of, nor the fact that it was the PN that lodged these complaints.”

It added it would “continue to take all necessary measures to ensure that Robert Abela and his Government stop using the station, which is supposed to serve the people, as if it were Super One 2.”