Former PN minister loses libel case on oil scandal comments

The three directors of Intershore Fiduciary Services Ltd have been awarded €7,500 in libel damages from former Minister Tonio Fenech over comments he made on TV alleging they were involved in the oil scandal uncovered before the 2013 election.

Intershore Fiduciary Services Ltd is the nominee company that owned George Farrugia’s Aikon Ltd before the trader assumed full ownership in January 2011. Aikon Ltd was at the heart of an investigation into commissions paid over Enemalta oil-purchasing agreements.

The directors are former Labour candidate and financial controller Joe Cordina, Carmel Scerri, and past Nationalist Party candidate Martin Fenech.

The trio sued Tonio Fenech for statements he made in 2013 on NET TV, during which Fenech alleged that they were involved in the oil-purchasing scandal, receiving the monies that were obtained through corruption pertaining to Enemalta oil purchasing.

Fenech had claimed that a company called Aikon Ltd was being used to receive money from oil producers, which were then used to bribe Enemalta officials into buying the company’s oil from them.

The trio said that Fenech’s statements were “false and slanderous allegations” in their regard and had been made “with the intention to offend their honour and undermine their reputation and credibility.”

The court observed that Martin Fenech and Charles Scerri should never have been mentioned, as their only involvement was that they held a company with Joseph Cordina.

The court also noted that in regard to Cordina, the hoped-for outcome had been achieved in that he withdrew his candidature for the general election which was due to occur shortly afterwards.

Magistrate Depasquale said he understood that the defendant had been making statements in his capacity as a politician using information passed on to him by the PN, which he said had carried out the research. But it was also clear that the Fenech had based himself on factually incorrect information and therefore had to bear the responsibility for defaming the plaintiffs, for which he must pay damages.

Fenech was ordered to pay Cordina €1,500 in damages and €3,000 each to Scerri and Fenech.

Cordina also separately sued Nazzjon editor Alexander Attard for libel for an article titled ‘L-Amministratur Finanzjarju tal-MLP wara liskandlu taż-żejt’, which was published in the Nationalist-owned daily newspaper on Friday, 22 February 2013, and Il-Mument editor Victor Camilleri for an article in a supplement on 24 February 2013. Camilleri was ordered to pay €2,000, while Attard was acquitted.