Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry hears testimony of former PBS editor

The public inquiry into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia hears the testimony of former PBS editor Reno Bugeja

9 December 2020, 2:07pm
by Matthew Agius

3 min read

Caruana Galizia was murdered in a car bomb just outside her Bidnija home on 16 October 2017

Former PBS editor Reno Bugeja has appeared in front of the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry to answer about the public broadcaster's editorial independence.

Bugeja said it was unfair to describe PBS as a "glorified noticeboard", as suggested by lawyer Jason Azzopardi, who pointed out that the national broadcaster never carried out its own investigations.

Bugeja said PBS lacked the resources to do investigations when compared to the political party stations. “You can't call it a glorified noticeboard. That is not fair. I'd be stupid not to say there was room for improvement, but the first improvement had to be made in society at large,” the former editor said.

Bugeja had a 40-year career in journalism, all of them inside the PBS newsroom.

Confronted by an email he had sent Joseph Muscat in April 2008, Bugeja said it was normal for him to give his opinion to people.

The email referred to an appearance Muscat made on Bugeja’s discussion programme. In the email, Bugeja gave Muscat, who was then still an MEP and not yet Labour leader, a rundown of feedback he had received on the programme. When it was pointed out to Bugeja that he was almost coaching Muscat, he explained that he did this with other people too.

Bugeja said that he had also given his opinion on many things to Simon Busuttil. “I had felt that I should take him out to eat,” he added.

The former PBS editor told the inquiry that Daphne Caruana Galizia had published a blog about his programme and had praised his tough questioning of Muscat. “I don't think that correspondence prejudices my position,” Bugeja insisted.

He also spoke about a visit to Azerbaijan by the prime minister for which only PBS was invited. Bugeja insisted that he was not privy to what was discussed because journalists only had a five-minute photo opportunity.

The second person to testify today was Johann Galea, permanent secretary at the justice ministry. He said the ministry would table in parliament any reports it received from the Permanent Commission Against Corruption.

In the previous sitting, Jonathan Cardona, who headed the Individual Investor Programme testified.

The senior government official had reiterated that former justice minister Owen Bonnici had suggested Henley and Partners send a legal letter rather than file court proceedings against Daphne Caruana Galizia.

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.

15:45 That's it for today. Thank you for following. Kurt Sansone

15:45 Galea concludes his testimony. The next sitting is on Friday at 9:30am and Auditor General Charles Deguara is expected to testify. Kurt Sansone

15:39 The concluding remarks of the report would always have the PCAC's conclusions as to whether there was corruption or not, Galea says. Kurt Sansone

15:37 He is unable to say whether there were cases started on the commission's own initiative, insisting that it isn't his remit. Kurt Sansone

15:35 “It isn't my remit to check on how the cases started,” he says. Kurt Sansone

15:35 Galea says every case is its own story. “We don't have data on how the cases started,” he says but explains that someone would always need to file a complaint to the Permanent Commission Against Corruption. Kurt Sansone

15:33 He presents the two lists of reports to the inquiry board. Kurt Sansone

15:31 Galea says the ministry’s practise is to table any such reports in parliament. “We aren't the entity responsible to take action on them,” he adds. Kurt Sansone

15:30 Galea says these reports are passed on to the minister who would table them in parliament. He presents the board with reports which are available on the justice ministry website. There are other older ones which are available on request, he says. Kurt Sansone

15:29 Judge emeritus Michael Mallia asks him about the reports of the Commission Against Corruption. Kurt Sansone

15:28 The next witness, Johann Galea, permanent secretary at the justice ministry, takes the stand. Kurt Sansone

15:27 Bugeja has finished testifying. Kurt Sansone

15:26 Bugeja praises his newsroom's body of work, and says he always welcomed former employees of other newsrooms. Kurt Sansone

15:26 Bugeja: “You can't call it a glorified noticeboard. That is not fair. I'd be stupid not to say there was room for improvement, but the first improvement had to be made in society at large.” Kurt Sansone

15:25 Azzopardi asks why PBS lacked resources and became a “glorified noticeboard”. Kurt Sansone

15:24 Bugeja says PBS lacked the resources to do investigating compared to political parties. Kurt Sansone

15:24 Azzopardi says that if the national broadcaster investigates matters it would stir a hornet’s nest. Kurt Sansone

15:23 Bugeja says there are several instances where the station was called to be a reporter. “When the oil scandal erupted, we just reported it,” he says. Kurt Sansone

15:22 Azzopardi: “There is a reality that newsrooms for both parties, over the years had performed investigative journalism. As for the national broadcaster, I doubt if there was any reportage of a controversial investigation over the years.” Kurt Sansone

15:21 Lawyer Jason Azzopardi asks Bugeja whether in his long experience he made the distinction between a reporter and a journalist. “There is,” he says. Kurt Sansone

15:20 On polarisation, Bugeja says he was attacked by both sides of the political divide. “I used to say that as long as I'm being attacked by both sides I'm doing it right. We need a lot of media education in this country. A lot. But it is not an easy task as the mentality is ingrained,” Bugeja says. Kurt Sansone

15:18 He is asked about the coverage of the protests by civil society. “They were reported as they were newsworthy,” he says. Kurt Sansone

15:18 Bugeja says it would just be an agenda and not the details of the discussions. Kurt Sansone

15:17 Comodini Cachia asks whether an agenda would be given to press crews covering such delegations. Kurt Sansone

15:16 Bugeja says that out of the 50-odd invitations abroad the newsroom got every year, he would do one after the other journalists had filled their quota. “This was one such visit,” he says. “I curse the moment I went as it was not fun at all,” Bugeja quips. Kurt Sansone

15:15 Comodini Cachia asks about the Azerbaijan invitation. Why did he feel the need to go himself as head of newsroom? Kurt Sansone

15:14 Bugeja: “Yes, I remember. I think it was Mario Micallef who attended.” Kurt Sansone

15:14 Comodini Cachia suggests that Electrogas had invited PBS to Siemens in Sweden. Kurt Sansone

15:13 Comodini Cachia points to an email exchange between Electrogas and journalist Mario Micallef in which he asked for input with regards to questions. Bugeja says he doesn't have “divine knowledge” of everything done by his newsroom. Kurt Sansone

15:12 Asked about PBS interview practises, he says he never waited for questions to be sent to him on the subject but “people are different”. Kurt Sansone

15:11 Asked about press events, he says that PBS would not attend all the events. “With the pandemic, we would be sometimes sent footage by ministries but no video was ever published unedited as the length was a maximum two minutes,” he says. Kurt Sansone

15:00 Bugeja says he had invited Daphne Caruana Galizia on a programme focusing on the Acapulco allegations involving then minister Chris Cardona, but she had declined. Kurt Sansone

14:58 Bugeja says the editing of the piece was not done by himself but it was a junior manager's responsibility. He says that there might be items published online that differ from the news features since these items are published around 8pm. Kurt Sansone

14:57 Comodini Cachia refers to a TVM news report from April 2018, about the Daphne Project. “Would PBS publish the conclusion of the cooperation between local and foreign newsrooms as the news or just refer to it as ‘another report by the Daphne project’?” She presses him on why he led with the fact that the Daphne Project had conducted another investigation and not the conclusion of the investigation. Kurt Sansone

14:55 It is suggested that PBS was a notice board for government projects. “We were a notice board, but for government,” he says. Kurt Sansone

14:54 Bugeja: “I don't recall us filing them. Often, we would approach the communications coordinator… We would report every allegation. We used to report them and even had television programmes used on the issues. Nobody told us to hold the brakes and if they did I would have refused.” Kurt Sansone

14:53 Comodini Cachia asks questions now. “How many FOI requests did PBS file?” Kurt Sansone

14:53 Bugeja argues that Daphne Caruana Galizia had published a blog about his programme and had praised his tough questioning of Muscat. “I don't think that correspondence prejudices my position,” Bugeja insists. Kurt Sansone

14:51 Bugeja says he had also given his opinion on many things to Simon Busuttil. “I had felt that I should take him out to eat,” he adds. Kurt Sansone

14:47 Bugeja: “Many times I do this with other people too.” Kurt Sansone

14:47 An email Bugeja sent Muscat in April 2008 is read out. The email refers to an appearance Muscat made on Bugeja’s discussion programme. In the email, Bugeja is giving Muscat, who was then still an MEP and not yet Labour leader, a rundown of feedback he had received on the programme. It is pointed out to Bugeja that he was almost coaching Muscat. Kurt Sansone

14:45 Asked whether Joseph Muscat ever sent him emails, Bugeja says that he hadn't. But the board presses him on this and he says that he does not recall. Kurt Sansone

14:42 Asked whether he had exchanged emails with Kurt Farrugia, the former head of government communications, Bugeja says they had missed the press opportunity and asked for more information. Kurt Sansone

14:41 Bugeja: “We are very careful about the information we publish. I always say good fences make good neighbours.” Kurt Sansone

14:35 Bugeja says that on his watch the PBS newsroom had no interference from government. Kurt Sansone

14:35 Bugeja: “No. DOI sends coverages and press releases to everyone... Sometimes it is the parties who play that game and invite and don't invite people… It is up to the journalist to say no when it must be said… Surveys show that the PBS has always served the interest of the public.” Kurt Sansone

14:32 Did he feel PBS received privileged or preferential treatment from the government? Kurt Sansone

14:31 Bugeja says it was a light feature and that usually, the communications co-ordinators are the easiest channel to get the information. Kurt Sansone

14:31 The board mentions a particular news feature on the life on board the LNG tanker during Christmas and asks why the PBS newsroom asked for information and contacts to the communications co-ordinator within the Energy Ministry. Kurt Sansone

14:29 Mallia points out that in order to make programmes like Dissett, a lot of research is required. Bugeja agrees. Kurt Sansone

14:27 Bugeja says this was not necessarily the case. “Some journalistic investigations were able to wait long enough,” he adds. Kurt Sansone

14:26 Mallia points out that the length of time for an appeal to be decided meant that the story would have died a natural death. Kurt Sansone

14:26 Bugeja says freedom of information requests are used by many journalists and when they are refused there is a mechanism for appeal and sometimes those refusals are overturned. Kurt Sansone

14:24 Asked about the Azerbaijan trip by the prime minister, Bugeja says the invitation came from the Azerbaijan side. A visa was required. However, he adds that journalists in such circumstances are not privy to negotiations. “It is a photo op and a five-minute press event after which you are sent out of the room [where the meeting will continue behind closed doors],” he says. Kurt Sansone

14:21 Asked about the difficulties faced by journalists there he says they were no different to any other. He says that when the newsroom requested information it communicated through e-mails or calls with the communication co-ordinators in various ministries. Kurt Sansone

14:17 He worked at the newsroom “from day one, to my last day”. Kurt Sansone

14:17 Bugeja enters the courtroom. He tells the board that he retired a few months ago after 44 years at PBS. Kurt Sansone

14:16 Lawyer Therese Comodini Cachia explains that Reno Bugeja has been summoned to allow the board to investigate the level of government control at PBS. Bugeja is a former editor at TVM, the State broadcaster. Kurt Sansone

14:11 The judges have emerged from chambers and the public inquiry sitting will begin now. Kurt Sansone

14:10 Good afternoon. Kurt Sansone

Matthew Agius is Senior Reporter on Law and Court Affairs at MaltaToday. He is also a Leg...