Bonnici testifies in Caruana Galizia inquiry, distances himself from Henley libel threat against journalist
The public inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder continues with Education Minister Owen Bonnici testifying about a leaked email exchange in which Henley and Partners sought the prime minister's blessing to sue the journalist and PN MP Jason Azzopardi
Owen Bonnici has distanced himself from the actions of Henley and Partners chief Christian Kalin who threatened libel action against Daphne Caruana Galizia in an exchange with government officials.
The email exchange between Kalin, then prime minister Joseph Muscat, his chief of staff Keith Schembri and Bonnici had been exposed by Caruana Galizia. Kalin, whose firm Henley & Partners is the concessionaire in Malta’s passport-for-cash scheme, was seeking the go-ahead to sue the journalist and Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi.
Bonnici was asked about the case when testifying in this morning’s session of the public inquiry into the Caruana Galizia murder.
Bonnici said that Kalin had asked to visit him and he had accepted. “During this meeting Kalin had said at one point ‘I want to share this sentiment with you that you have a journalist in Malta who is repeatedly writing articles attacking our credibility and reputation. We are considering to proceed against this journalist legally.’ My reply was that in Malta there are legal avenues for redress, but I also made it clear that in Malta we tend to send an ittra bonarja (judicial protest) first to try and resolve issues amicably. That was it.”
The Education Minister said he had not replied to Kalin’s email. When asked whether he was aware that Joseph Muscat had accepted the Kalin proposal, Bonnici replied that if he was copied in the email he was aware of it.
“But if Joseph Muscat answered, then he must testify about it,” he added.
Asked whether as minister he felt the need to reply to the email suggesting legal action against media houses, Bonnici replied: “If he wants to use that route, who am I to tell him not to. What I did was encourage him to use dialogue. In this meeting, Kalin had mentioned that he had an international reputation to protect.”
Bonnici said that he was introduced to Kalin by Keith Schembri.
In the previous sitting, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne described his relationship with former chief of staff in the prime minister’s office, Keith Schembri, as “frosty.”
READ MORE: Caruana Galizia public inquiry: Chris Fearne describes 'frosty' relationship with Keith Schembri
The public inquiry into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia is tasked with, amongst other things, determining whether the State did all it could to prevent the murder from happening.
Caruana Galizia was murdered in a car bomb just outside her Bidnija home on 16 October 2017. Three men, George Degiorgio, Alfred Degiorgio and Vince Muscat, have been charged with carrying out the assassination, while Yorgen Fenech is charged with masterminding the murder.
Melvin Theuma, who acted as a middleman between Fenech and the three killers, was granted a presidential pardon last year to tell all.
The inquiry is led by retired judge Michael Mallia and includes former chief justice Joseph Said Pullicino and Judge Abigail Lofaro.