Claudette Pace files judicial protest against PBS

Popular television presenter Claudette Buttigieg, formally known as Claudette Pace filed a judicial protest against PBS after its editorial board decided that she could no longer present her daily programme Sellili since she will contesting the general election on the PN ticket.

In the protest sent to the media, Buttigieg called on PBS to revise its decision and gave the national broadcaster 48 hours to reply to the protest.

She insisted that the editorial board should not have taken such a decision. Buttigieg added that she expected to be called by the station to discuss the matter in person.

In the protest, the presenter and singer explained that her candidature was officially approved on 17 September and one day later she received an e-mail from the PBS editorial board notifying her that she could not present her show after 1 October.

Buttigieg said the editorial board's decision was "arbitrary and without any basis." She insisted that the candidature will not have an impact on the quality of the show and Buttigieg also noted that her programme does not deal with political and current affairs.

The presenter said broadcasting was her only source of income and PBS was denying her livelihood by barring her from presenting the show on TVM.

The protest cited a judgement by the Court of Appeal on 31 May 2002 in the case John Bundy and Clyde Puli vs the Broadcasting Authority as a precedent which was very relevant to her case.

The court had declared that the intention to contest a general election was not sufficient basis for the Authority to stop somebody from working as a broadcaster.

The court had ruled that the Broadcasting Authority had exceeded its legal authority in stopping Bundy and Puli from exercising their profession as broadcasters when they were not official candidates but had only declared their intention to be candidates.