Joe 'Peppi' Azzopardi coached JPO before 2008 elections
When repeatedly questioned in court this morning Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando revealed that PBS broadcaster Joe Azzopardi had been assigned by the Nationalist Party to coach him before his appearance as a ‘journalist’ on PBS against Alfred Sant.
Nationalist backbencher Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando was appearing as a witness in a case instituted by Richard Cachia Caruana against Saviour Balzan as managing editor of MaltaToday.
In his testimony, Pullicino Orlando confirmed that he was following instructions before the 2008 elections as instructed by Cachia Caruana and former PN secretary-general Joe Saliba.
In court Pullicino Orlando was asked by Balzan’s defence lawyer Toni Abela to mention the name of the person who had coached him. Last week in an interview with Josanne Cassar, Pullicino Orlando had mentioned he had been coached before being issued with a temporary press card to appear as a 'journalist' for PN media house Media.Link at PBS. He did not mention who the person was.
Pullicino Orlando admitted in court that it was Where's Everybody director Joe 'Peppi' Azzopardi who had coached him.
Azzopardi hosts the Friday show Xarabank on state TV and is also one of the directors of the media company Where’s Everybody. Azzopardi has always argued that he is independent and has no political agenda.
JPO’s revelation is the first confirmation that Azzopardi is involved in rehearsing Nationalist politicians, a rumour that was never proven before.
JPO did not say if Richard Cachia Caruana or Joe Saliba had instructed Joe Azzopardi to coach JPO. Azzopardi’s critics have always accused the TV presenter of being biased in favour of the Gonzi administration.