Updated 6.45pm
Stockbroker Paul Bonello has questioned a decision by church-owned radio RTK to take him off a programme where he was a regular guest, just after he raised questions on the potential acquisition of HSBC Bank by APS, which is also church-owned.
But RTK said Bonello's removal had nothing to do with his media comments and had only happened because a sponsor had acquired his guest spot.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Bonello said that his fortnightly participation in a radio programme on finance and economic matters had been suspended by RTK management "with immediate effect”.
“I ask, does this have anything to do with my expression of opinion - both from an economic and regulatory point of view as well as from a Catholic practitioner point of view - regarding the APS potential acquisition of HSBC operations,” he asked.
It emerged last week that APS Bank is in advanced talks to take over HSBC’s Malta operations. The revelation came after HSBC Malta's parent company announced it would be carrying out a “strategic review” of its operations in Malta.
The Maltese Archdiocese is the majority shareholder of APS Bank, with an equity of around 55.2 per cent. The second largest shareholder is the Diocese of Gozo, with a stake of around 12.7 per cent.
Bonello was among financial experts who raised questions about the potential APS acquisition.
“This isn’t just the small fish eating the big fish, it’s more than that. The difference in size between the two is just too big,” Bonello had told Times of Malta. He was also vocal on Facebook, urging regulators to get “financial players in line”.
In his post on Tuesday, he asked if his removal from the radio programme was the Church’s attitude to receiving criticism.
“Is it possible that they treat freedom of expression with such disdain and contempt? Is this the approach of the Church with the laity?”
Bonello’s suspension linked to a new radio schedule
In a statement, Matthew Xuereb, editor of Newsbook and RTK103, said Bonello, who was a guest on the programme ‘Ghal Kullħadd’ had been informed of the changes, since a sponsor had acquired the segment.
“Changing line-ups of presenters and, in his case, guests, is normal practice with the launch of new schedules, especially when content is sponsored,” Xuereb said.
The new radio schedule was announced on Monday and starts on September 30.
Xuereb insisted that the decision had nothing to do with Bonello's comments to the media.
“RTK103 has never taken issue with him or any other guests on this topic,” Xuereb said while thanking Bonello for his contributions to the radio programme. He said RTK103 would "explore" other options in its radio programming schedule which might be "mutually beneficial".
In a statement on his personal Facebook page, Xuereb went further, saying he had invited Bonello onto an RTK show to be aired on Wednesday where he could "air his views without limitation."
"The spin that the Church-owned radio station was trying to limit Mr Bonello’s freedom of expression is nothing but a fairy tale. And certain people who fanned it - without checking the facts - really ought to know better," he wrote.