The editor of Maltese-language news outlet Illum, Saviour Balzan, and Yendrick Cioffi, a former contributor to the publication, did not libel former prison director Col. Alexander Dalli by reporting the latter as having held a gun in an inmate’s mouth, a court has ruled. Another witness was a former prison guard, who also told the court that Dalli would carry a concealed firearm while inside the facility. Lawyer Andrew Saliba, representing Balzan and Cioffi in the proceedings, had argued that the publication of the story had been in the public interest. The presence of minor inaccuracies in a report does not invalidate the “public interest” defence, ruled the court. Neither did it mean that he was not respected by the inmates or prison officials, said the magistrate.
