Business magnate Silvio Debono wants to reach a compromise with Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family over the 19 libel cases he instituted against the journalist, he has told an inquiry into her murder.

Testifying before the public inquiry on Monday, Debono said he had filed the large number of libel cases against Caruana Galizia as he felt he had unfairly been made out to be a gangster who practices in corrupt business dealings.  

Caruana Galizia was slapped with 19 libel cases from the db Group in March 2017, who claimed that for weeks on end she had attacked, slandered and lied about the group. 

At the time, the group had reached a highly-controversial deal with the government regarding the development of the ITS site in Paceville.

The db San Gorg Property Limited, which manages Debono’s Seabank Hotel, had announced it would be investing €300 million in the building of a Hard Rock hotel, a residential complex and commercial centre on the former ITS site in St George's Bay.

'Corrupt, bogan, mafia'

Debono told the inquiry that Caruana Galizia had written extensively about him. 

“When she started saying that I am corrupt, a bogan, mafia and so on, I was issuing a multi-million [Euro] bond, and she was writing these things. If you Googled my name you would see posts about me being corrupt. I could not allow that,” Debono said.   

But why file all those cases? the inquiry board asked. 

Debono said he had not filed a case for every single blog post, but still could not allow articles that claim he was corrupt to go unchallenged.  

The businessman said he understood how the Caruana Galizia family must be feeling, sympathised with them and was ready to meet them to find an amicable solution. He did not commit when he asked whether he wanted the articles about him removed.  

“I am not a vengeful man. I wanted to defend my rights and I am sure we can find a compromise,” he said.  

A photo of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia clutched during a vigil. Photo: Jonathan Borg

Debono said he had spoken to Caruana Galizia on the  phone time during the period she had started writing about him.  He also said he had nothing against her personally, adding that he even admired her writing at times.  

Debono told the inquiry that back in 2002 he had briefly employed Caruana Galizia as a consultant in a professional relationship that only lasted a few weeks.  

Turning to the subject of Caruana Galizia’s writing, Debono told the panel of three former judges that the land deal had been above board. He insisted that the Auditor General had confirmed in a report that the price paid for the land was “just”.  

Judge Joseph Said Pullicino said the panel was not there to decide whether the deal was of good value, adding that they were more interested in understanding how the government managed major contracts.  

'Politicised' deal

Asked how he negotiated business deals with government, Debono said he was summoned once by the then prime minister Joseph Muscat who had told him that the deal had become “politicised” and would have to be renegotiated. 

Speaking in a raised voice, Debono said he had paid more than a fair price on the land “to ensure no one could ever say I am corrupt or that I bribe people”.  

“I’m sorry for being so loud but I am speaking from the heart. I am a very emotional person,” Debono said.  

He said he had never discussed the land deal with then minister Konrad Mizzi, and said that while he had met former chief of staff Keith Schembri, their relationship was strictly professional. 

“I met him as the chief of staff, just as I had met chiefs of staff that came before him,” Debono said.  

Donations to parties

He said he had had his eye on that parcel of land since the Gonzi administration prior to Labour’s return to power.  

In the years leading up to Caruana Galizia’s murder, the db Group had also been at the centre of controversy after it claimed it paid the salaries for the Nationalist Party's general secretary and corporate strategy head, a claim the PN denied. 

Asked about donations to political parties, Debono said these had always been done within the parameters of the law and that he was prepared to submit documents to do prove as much.  

He said he would donate around €5,000 annually to the Labour Party, during their normal fund raising marathons, and between €6,000 and €8,000 annually to the Nationalist Party.  

Once Debono’s testimony ended, Electrogas investor Paul Apap Bologna appeared briefly to present documents he had been requested to hand over. These included a timeline of insurance dealings and other documents relating to the power station deal.  

Malta Enterprise head Kurt Farrugia was also summoned to hand over some documents mostly related to the government’s €1 million reward for information on the Caruana Galizia murder. 

He had also been asked to present an email he had received from Caruana Galizia, but said he was unable to track it down.