For Integrity's Sake

 
If there was any doubt about the fact that the Nationalist Party's Media should be taken with a pinch of salt, this was verified last Wednesday by the Maltese Court. The Nationalist Media back in 2006 published a damaging report against me using information allegedly obtained from sources who they could not reveal, and without first verifying whether this information was true or fictitious. In a few words the Court ruled that the Nationalist media published a whole pack of lies against me and fined them 12,000 euro.
 
In June 2006 the Nationalist Media started fabricating stories which linked my political work and my voluntary work in a charity organisation with a property I inherited back in 1991. The assistant secretary general of the Nationalist Party Jean Pierre Debono, who at that time used to wear a journalistic mask, also alleged that I was being investigated by the Labour Party.
 
Magistrate Silvio Meli in court stated that if a person wears a journalist's mask and focuses all his actions to push forward the hidden agenda of those who are financially pampering him, then this person will be nothing but a Dr Faustus, and will deserve to share his same fate.
 
At the time that these stories were being published with prominence in the nationalist media, I used to wake up and rush to the nearest stationery to read what other stories were being fabricated against me. I must say that those were really hard times for me, because it was not fair, I knew I did nothing wrong and that the whole story was a pure political manipulation. Fortunately with the support of my family and friends I went through all this and decided to go to court.
 
I must say that all those people who knew me well never believed what the nationalist media was saying and this was also reflected in the number of votes I obtained in the last general election. Still I felt that my integrity had to be proven by court, and that is why I kept going on  with the case. Obviously I didn't do all this for money, in fact all the money which I will get from this sentence will go to charity.
 
Since I started my political career, first as a mayor than as a member of parliament my main aim was to give a better quality of life to people. Unfortunately a lot of people think that  politicians are there to give good speeches or debate well on TV. In reality a lot of people, because of social, financial and health problems can't afford to have only those kind of politicians. They need hands on politicians who help them face such situations, and not just politicians who speak well about social problems, but are only present on TV or in a press conference.
 
I would like to dedicate this article to all those who helped me face this terrible moment in my life.
 
Justice finally prevailed.