Magistrate puts off Caruana Galizia libel case after lawyers’ outburst

Magistrate Francesco Depasquale had to scold bickering lawyers who found themselves in a contestation over the testimony of blogger and Malta Independent columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who is charged with defaming Maria Vassallo on her personal blog.

In a related case, Zurrieq Labour mayor Ignatius Farrugia and mother and daughter Maria and Kimberly Vassallo, are pleading not guilty to harassing Caruana Galizia during a parish feast in Rabat, on 29 March.

Matters came to a head in the courtroom when lawyer Chris Cilia, appearing for Vassallo, interrupted Caruana Galizia's testimony to remind her that she was under oath, to which the blogger replied, "How rude of you..." (Kemm int pastaz) - prompting Cilia to ask the court's protection.

At this point, defence lawyer Joseph Zammit Maempel said that it should be Caruana Galizia who should get the court's protection, with an exchange of words ensuing between the two lawyers.

Magistrate Depasquale interrupted, stopping the cross-examination and ordering Caruana Galizia off the stand, putting off the case to another data. "The courtroom is a serious forum and such behavior will not be tolerated. The court expects better from certain lawyers, and such attitudes will not be allowed in my courtroom."

Earlier, Caruana Galizia was telling the court that photos that Maria Vassallo had posted on her own Facebook profile, showed her dressed up in S&M wear. "They are obscene and of an exhibitionist nature... she and her husband are great exhibitionists. These clothes are only worn by certain kind of people. I don't care what they do in private, but Maria was a public person because she managed the Rabat Labour Party club. Her Facebook profile was public, and I'm sure her profile had a larger following than my blog."

Caruana Galizia said she wrote about Vassallo after learning of a brawl that had taken place inside the PL club in Rabat during the last electoral campaign.

On her part, Vassallo's defence lawyer stated that it was Herbert Vassallo, her husband, who ran the PL club's bar and that his wife was not involved in the administration of the club.

Assault case

In the corresponding case, in which Vassallo is charged with the harassment of Caruana Galizia, the accused said she approached the journalist to tell her to leave her family in peace.

"I was at the Rabat feast with my daughter Kimberly and a friend when I saw Caruana Galizia. I knew of her from the newspapers, where she wrote allegations about me and my daughter. She seems to know me more than I know myself as she writes things about me that not even I am aware of," Vassallo told the court.

"I told her I did not know her and that she should stop slinging mud at us. She should leave is in peace," the accused said, adding that Caruana Galizia had associated her with her husband, the barman of the Rabat Labour party club.

Vassallo also denied assaulting Caruana Galizia. "At such an emotional moment, a person tends to gesticulate widely. This was not an assault, and I did not insult her," Vassallo told the court.

Caruana Galizia's lawyer Joseph Zammit Maempel asked the accused what Caruana Galizia had written about her and her family.

Unable to recall the exact words, Maria Vassallo said: "She implied we are 'hamalli' because we're Labour voters, and that my daughter had her breasts done, her eyebrows tattoed and fake lips."

Defence lawyer Chris Cilia asked the court to appoint an expert to download the blogposts, to which Zammit Maempel objected, saying the evidence had already been finalised. The magistrate refused the request.

Another witness, Claudia Camilleri, corroborated Vassallo's testimony. The case was put off for sentencing.