PBS is insisting that its decision to disqualify singer Aiden Cassar from this year's Malta Eurovision Song Contest “is final” since he was in blatant breach of the regulations he had signed up to observing.

In a legal letter sent to Cassar, PBS noted that Cassar never denied breaching the regulations by posting social media posts about his song Reġina. This was in breach of the regulations he himself signed in October last year, PBS said.

Cassar was one of the frontrunners in the contest to select Malta's 2023 Eurovision entry, but was kicked out of the event on Monday for what PBS said were unauthorised posts on social media about his song.

On Thursday, Cassar sent a legal letter to PBS arguing that he has been singled out for punishment by PBS, as various other contestants also published social media posts about their entries, participation and sponsorships.

Cassar also said that PBS never gave him an opportunity to defend himself and failed to give him an explanation about the specific reasons for which he was disqualified from the competition.

His lawyers - Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Charles Mercieca - are demanding that PBS immediately freeze its decision to disqualify him and set up a meeting between the contest organisers and singer, to allow him to make his case – or face further legal action.

In a legal letter sent in reply, PBS - through lawyers Edward Gatt, Carlos Bugeja, Mark Vassallo and Shaun Zammit - noted that in October 2022 Cassar signed a declaration stating that he read all regulations and bound himself to observe them.

One of the regulations clearly stated: “The engagement of marketing personnel, marketing officials, marketing companies or the engagement into some sort of marketing or promotional campaign or activity by the artists to promote themselves, the song, their participation, or in some way to influence the public vote is strictly prohibited.

"The publication of any social media post, promotion material, interviews or media presence/exposure from the announcement of the quarter-finalists onwards is also strictly prohibited. Any breach of this clause will lead to automatic disqualification.”

Cassar, however, deliberately breached the regulations and PBS reiterated that this was brought to his attention, but, rather than stopping  - as other contestants had done - his behaviour intensified.

PBS said it had documents showing that Cassar had been asked to stop and, therefore, the reason for this disqualification was always made clear to him.