Legal war rages between Lija Mayor and Melita
Melita objects to mayor’s comments on court expert report; Ian Castaldi Paris insists that he will not be silenced.
Melita has filed a writ in court objecting to Lija mayor Ian Castaldi Paris’s comments to this newspaper about the conclusions of a report by court-appointed expert Prof. Joseph Agius, on the dangers posed to residents by an antenna located in Preziosi Street.
The report concluded that although radiation from this and other antennas in the neighbourhood did not exceed international limits on electro-magnetic radiation, a five-year study was required to ascertain whether exposure of this antenna harmed residents.
Speaking to MaltaToday six days after the report was presented to the law courts, the mayor asked: “How can I put residents’ mind to rest when the court-appointed expert himself is saying that we need five years to assess the long term impact on health?” In their writ, Melita called on the court to “protect” the court appointed expert from undue pressure, a demand which was described by the Lija mayor as an attempt to silence him.
Melita took umbrage at the fact that the mayor was giving his interpretation on the expert’s conclusions before all those involved in the case had a chance to ask him questions to clarify some of the conclusions made in the report.
It also referred “to the tactic of the local council to comment on the court procedures on the mass media” and that the council had resorted to this tactic from the very beginning before the case was presented. In a counter-writ, the Lija council replied that the mayor was exercising his fundamental right to express himself on a public report which was already presented to the court six days before the newspaper report.
“Nothing which was not already public was revealed by the mayor in the newspaper,” the Lija council said.
“I only commented after the report was presented to the court and I specifically referred to what was on black and white written by the court expert… I never expressed or mentioned how the judge should direct his decision,” Castaldi Paris told MaltaToday.
He also described the writ as an attempt to silence him. “They just want to keep all this hush hush, and do not want people to be aware of the harm these antennas might be causing.” He also affirmed his duty as politician to defend residents in his locality.
Castaldi Paris also dismissed Melita’s demand that the court should intervene to protect the court expert from undue pressure.
“Should he need protection, I am sure he can ask for protection himself. He does not need anyone to do so for him. After all, the report is already concluded.”