Jason Azzopardi contesting ruling that found him in breach of parliamentary privilege

Nationalist Party MP Jason Azzopardi is arguing that the Speaker’s damning ruling over his tweet was in breach of the right to freedom of political expression

PN MP Jason Azzopardi
PN MP Jason Azzopardi

Jason Azzopardi is contesting the Speaker’s ruling that a tweet directed towards Economy Minister Chris Cardona was in breach of privilege.

The Nationalist MP filed a parliamentary motion to contest the ruling, which he said was an attempt to curb his right to freedom of political expression.

READ ALSO: Speaker finds Jason Azzopardi in breach of privilege over Chris Cardona tweet

Parliamentary rules do allow MPs to contest rulings delivered by the Speaker. Azzopardi insisted the Speaker could not have ruled as he did because the tweet fell outside his remit.

On Wednesday, Anġlu Farrugia, the Speaker of the House, ruled that a tweet in which Azzopardi said the minister had close ties to the criminal underworld, was in breach of parliamentary privilege.

Azzopardi had tried defending his actions by saying that the tweet was not referring to Cardona because he had not mentioned the minister by name. The PN MP had publicly cried foul when Cardona raised the breach of privilege complaint, interpreting the minister’s action as confirmation that he had something to hide.

The Speaker ruled that anybody could understand that the tweet was directed to Cardona since it was sent out shortly after a heated parliamentary session in which Cardona was a protagonist.

However, in his motion contesting the ruling, Azzopardi effectively confirmed that he was referring to Cardona by listing the instances reported in the press that linked the minister to at least two of the men accused with murdering Daphne Caruana Galizia. 

The offensive tweet read: “This evening you could see how the corrupt and those who are familiar with criminals behave: they don’t allow those who expose their lies and evil speak.”

Chris Cardona has described allegations that try to link him in any way to Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder as 'ridiciulous'
Chris Cardona has described allegations that try to link him in any way to Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder as 'ridiciulous'

Cardona came under fire over the past two weeks after Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that he had been at a bachelor’s party of around 40 people for which Alfred Degiorgio was also present.

Degiorgio is one of three men accused with Caruana Galizia’s murder.

Cardona has denied any link to Caruana Galizia’s murder, calling the allegations “ridiculous”.