Delia files second libel case against Caruana Galizia

PN Leadership candidate Adrian Delia has filed two libel cases against blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia over her allegations that he benefited financially from UK prostitution rings, saying that it is in the national interest that the cases be dealt with as urgent.

In four articles, all published on Caruana Galizia's website yesterday, it is alleged that Delia had received payments of around £1 million in 'rent' from Maltese landlords in Soho who were allegedly involved in prostitution and that the payments were made into an offshore bank account based in Jersey, an offshore jurisdiction.

Delia has vehemently denied the allegations.

One court application, filed by lawyer Arthur Azzopardi, states that the allegations “are causing and are continuing to cause irreparable damages to the plaintiff and are being made with the clear intention of reducing his trustworthiness in the eyes of the councillors and members of the Nationalist Party as a candidate for the role of Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition, precisely a few days before the election.”

“It is therefore in the interest, not only of the plaintiff, but also the national interest... that in this context this application is heard and decided in the shortest time possible.”