Gonzi asked MaltaToday editor not to publish election survey

Mediatoday managing editor Saviour Balzan yesterday told a court that former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi had asked him personally not to publish election surveys in MaltaToday, and that his personal assistant Edgar Galea Curmi had tried to convince him to leak a story about people's health issues in this newspaper.

Balzan was testifying in a libel suit filed by Galea Curmi over a newspaper report and an opinion piece by Balzan, on the way former Nationalist councillor Cyrus Engerer's father was arrested on possession of cannabis shortly after Engerer left the PN.

"Our working relationship went from good to disgusting," Balzan said of Galea Curmi. "But as journalists, it's accepted that one retains a working connection with the personal assistant of the PM."

Balzan said that his relationship with Galea Curmi improved shortly after the departure of Alan Camilleri, the prime minister's spokesperson, and at one point was also invited to the prime minister's summer residence in Girgenti.

Prior to the 2008 elections, Balzan and Mediatoday managing director Roger Degiorgio, co-owners of Mediatoday, were invited to meet Gonzi at Castille. But there, Gonzi asked Balzan to stop publishing election surveys "because they will cost PN re-election", Balzan said in court. "Gonzi asked me not to publish surveys showing the PN's slight majority, because it might send the message to angry Nationalist voters not to come out to vote. He said it would be on my conscience if Labour wins."

He then added that in July 2011, just days after Nationalist councillor Cyrus Engerer switched to Labour, his father was arrested on cannabis possession. "I was not aware of the friendship Galea Curmi actually had with the Engerers, so when I got to know that he had spoken with the commissioner of police, it made me wonder," Balzan said, referring to claims by John Rizzo during a press conference in which he disclosed Galea Curmi's involvement in this case.

Balzan also said that in 2008, Galea Curmi had leaked him a story about Alternattiva Demokratika chairperson Harry Vassallo's pending VAT payments, a case which later resulted in Vassallo's arrest on the eve of the election. "A court decision to enforce the payments of these VAT obligations had actually been taken in 2006, but the police decided to enforce the court's decision on the eve of the elections. This was typical PN pre-election panic over the threat of AD in the elections," Balzan said. "And I was aware of these tactics having been an AD member for nine years."

Balzan said that in February 2008, Galea Curmi called at Balzan's residence in Naxxar, to inform him of the Vassallo story. "I did not invite Galea Curmi over as a friend. I have few friends, and the ones I have I choose well. Vassallo is a friend. Had he any sense, Galea Curmi would have never come to me with this story."

Balzan said that Vassallo was "an honest, yet perhaps negligent" man, and that he had refused to publish the story, which ended up on the personal blog of Malta Independent columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia, The Times, and in PN organ In-Nazzjon.

Balzan added that another leak from Galea Curmi were the medical documents belonging to Jo Said, an election heckler who canvassed PN meetings and criticised the Nationalist administration openly. Balzan said a government messenger had been despatched with the documents, which he had refused to publish.

Cross-examined by lawyer Joe Zammit Maempel on the Engerer case, Saviour Balzan said that he was aware of Galea Curmi's communication with the former Commissioner of Police because it had been reported in other media, and Rizzo himself had held a press conference on the case. In a sudden loss of temper, Zammit Maempel said the court had to find out who was lying: "It's either your or Galea Curmi, and we have to find out who. I will ask the court to run DNA tests on the documents Galea Curmi passed on to you... we'll run fingerprint tests and DNA tests will show my client never touched those papers."

Balzan replied that he would not accept to be insulted in court. "I will exhibit these documents in another court sitting. Galea Curmi had an army of staff to handle the documents. He knew better than to forward the documents himself."