One TV chairman attacks ALS sufferer over complaint on L-Istrina telethon

The head of Valletta’s cultural agency launched a scathing attack on the tetraplegic philanthropist Bjorn Formosa, taking him to task for criticising the timing of a state-backed fundraiser by the Malta Community Chest Fund. 

Formosa, diagnosed with motor neurone condition ALS aged 28, criticised the MCCF for announcing a miniature version of its annual telethon L-Istrina on September 20 – exactly one week before his own fundraiser for the second Dar Bjorn care home for ALS sufferers. 

While L-Istrina is usually held every year on 26 December, the miniature version is meant to raise much-needed funds that have dried up during the coronavirus pandemic. 

But Formosa complained that L-Istrina would overshadow his fund-raiser, despite having announced it well in advance at the start of the year, apart from having been relegated to TVM2 while the MCCF will have its telethon broadcast on TVM. 

But Jason Micallef, who is the head of Labour television channel One, attacked Formosa for expressing his complaint. “A person must be more than shameless to attack L-Istrina on social media when they themselves benefited and continues to benefit from L-Istrina and the state to the tune of thousands over the years,” the VCA boss said, referring to Formosa. 

Micallef, who chaired Malta’s Europen Capital of Culture bid in 2018, said Formosa’s criticism was “disrespectful” towards all those who donated money to the MCCFF cause over the years. 

Formosa replied, posting a video in which he told followers that the aid he received from the MCCFF was stopped abruptly in March “in the middle of the pandemic”. 

Since then, Formosa has been funding his own €3,000 monthly medical bill from his own pocket, while having used all MCCF funds for Dar Bjorn’s patients. “Thank you for your comments Mr Micallef. I forgive you and am always willing to help you,” Formosa told Micallef on Facebook.