Konrad Mizzi and Sai Laing will discover that in court you can’t refuse to answer questions
Does Sai Laing know she has filed a case against me? Something tells me she doesn’t. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread, and Konrad Mizzi filed his case against me less than an hour after my post was uploaded.
He should have sat down first and thought it through.
For a start, if he hadn’t sued, the story would not have been picked up by the mainstream print and broadcast media. But because he sued, the mainstream media were given the perfect excuse to pick it up and carry it, reporting what I wrote in the guise of a report on the libel suit. I even heard it on Super One radio, an audience that is never knowingly reached by this website. This is called the Streisand Effect.
But far more important is this: being cross-questioned under oath on the witness stand in court is nothing like facing the press, or the Opposition in parliament, and ignoring, avoiding or refusing to answer their questions.
In court, you can’t do that. You have to answer. If you don’t, you get sent down to cool your heels in the lock-up until you see sense.
And unlike with parliament or the press, you can’t refuse to exhibit a piece of evidence that is required. The press and parliament are subject to the rulings of the Data Protection Commissioner on the matter of whether or not Sai Laing’s contract should be released under the Freedom of Information Act. But the Data Protection Commissioner is himself subject to the authority of the magistrates’ court.
I find it fascinating that Konrad Mizzi and Sai Laing (if she knows about this at all) sued because I broke the news that he has been seeing the Super One journalist who he put on the public payroll as his communications coordinator. Lindsay Gambin herself is a bit-part player in this story and almost irrelevant. She could have been anyone.
The affair is not the point. The point here is that Konrad Mizzi and Sai Laing have used the public purse to finance their estrangement, the end of their marriage and its aftermath. The subsidiary, related point is that Sai Laing doesn’t really have a job at all, and that’s why she has no office or contact details, and why we haven’t been shown her contract. All she has is a salary, perks, privileges, funding for her new home, medical care and school fees for her children. And those children are also the Energy Minister’s children: the Maltese public is paying for their school fees in China so that he doesn’t have to do so himself.
I stand by what I wrote. It is correct.
103 Comments Comment
Leave a Comment
The comments below these reports are particularly interesting:
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-11-07/local-news/Konrad-and-Sai-Mizzi-file-for-libel-against-Daphne-Caruana-Galizia-over-extra-marital-affair-claim-6736125200
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141107/local/updated-daphne-caruana-galizia-sued-for-libel-by-konrad-mizzi.543061
Yep, let’s have that contract.
The haste with which Konrad Mizzi proceeded to the court can be explained only by a strong urge or anger motivated by the need to stop you from spreading the truth.
Konrot Mizzi tal-panic station.
Konrat will never know what hit him.
I am afraid that there is nothing to keep them from changing the original contract now.
That would amount to forgery, a criminal offence and besides, he would need to have accomplices in rather high places.
If he presents a forged document in court and attests to its veracity, he will compound his trouble by perjuring himself.
Knowing Joey, he would treat him and that other Mizzi as two expendables.
Not just forgery.
It would also be tampering with evidence which is now part of a court case. Should be a very serious offence. It definitely is in China.
You have a point. However it’s a risky ploy
Shades of the Oscar Wilde libel suit. Wilde was an idiot to sue for libel as all his dirty linen was exposed.
I always keep him in mind when I am angry about something that somebody said. It helps me think twice. Konrad sued 1 hour later. What a tosser.
I wish that the Marquis of Queensbury would show up and hand someone his calling card and badly jot down that they are a “sodomite” on it.
“somdomite” was what he wrote.
“somdomite” was what he wrote.
That would be even better!
Then whilst she’s here, she may buy some bed sheets and pillow cases so she may take them back home with her, poor thing.
Yes, but first she must expose the dirty linen in court.
Let the fun begin.
Are we now to expect the taxpayer to finance Owen Bonnici’s divorce settlement, too?
Why this Cabinet minister’s marriage breakdown?
Did Owen Bonnici file a libel suit? I don’t remember seeing any news about this.
[Daphne – No. He didn’t. He’s not in a position to do so because his wife is not the sort to be bought off. ]
Why would Owen Bonnici file a libel suit?
He’s a lawyer so he knows full well that unless he can prove that what was written wasn’t true, he will lose. And that would only give more prominence to the story.
[Daphne – The real reason, AE, is that when a married person sues over something like this, he or she needs the full cooperation of the other spouse. Owen Bonnici does not have the cooperation of his spouse. His spouse has retained the services of the noted marriage separation lawyer Stephen Thake. And rest assured that I don’t know this from either of them.]
He didn’t file because, unlike Konrat, he has some experience of the law and how court cases can end up doing the opposite of what you want them to do.
And the media just snores its to journalistic oblivion. This would have been the downfall of a PN prime minister had it occurred under Fenech Adami or Gonzi.
Wake up, media.
You see, Maltese media need something more relevant than this. The pre-election arlogg tal-lira to ex- Minister Fenech, comes to mind.
No, no, the really big news is that, horror of horrors, Joseph Calleja’s car was stolen. Not that it’s a new car or anything but ahem, you know, it must be because it was decided that dailies will help solve crime.
Surely it is not because some people are more worthy of help than others?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141107/local/tenor-joseph-callejas-car-stolen.543051
I think he’ll retract.
He will probably be removed in a cabinet reshuffle. He will now be an embarrassment to the prime minister.
Then the case will be abandoned or withdrawn.
Mela jista jnehhihom kolla, ciccio, ghax l-ebda wiehed minnhom ma fih hajt ghall-kenn.
Premature withdrawal, I’m afraid.
As long as he doesn’t, Joseph Muscat won’t fire or renegotiate him publicly in that Mizzi has a measure of control over Joseph Muscat.
Whatever will need to be published won’t necessarily have been the original agreement. But there’s no way the 13,000 euros per month can be unexplained, however they water down the rest.
Which is the crux of it, really.
Muskrat will do his best not to dismiss Konrat. Muskrat will try to hide behind the excuse that there is a court case, which will give him the opportunity to avoid any explanation or answer.
But can this position be sustainable once the court case gets under way?
Tinsiex li l-garra gejja u sejra tinkiser fl-ahhar.
There’s a reason why the 13,000€ per month is so high.
If that is endangered it will have to be provided by other means for the whole of its total value. If anything, a renegotiation will be happening and I hope that Mrs Mizzi, despite all the tangle in her favour, is not in any personal danger during this renegotiation and the pressure that will be exerted. Labour has indirect means of exerting extended and prolonged disabling pressure. We all know China has others.
How the sum eventually gets to Mrs Mizzi, officially and inofficially, is what will keep it sustainable.
It will be sustainable as long as Mrs Mizzi is there to play ball.
The other facts can be challenged but only so far.
The facts are what Daphne has presented.
The rest of the details, given that it’s Labour and China that we are talking about, are fluid.
I think that Konrad Mizzi saw this as a rope he could clutch on to to save his skin, past end-November.
Whether Gambin lasts or not, she could have been anyone. She’s not a pivotal part of this story, though she might eventually be after a better rank for her part in it.
I just love how the photos next to each other – seem to capture the gist of it all.
X’jghajjruk Daphne fuq il-Malta Today. Mid-dehra lqatthom fil-laham il-haj.
Il-bicca hi li l-huma, flok jitolbu r-rizenja ta’ Mizzi, jehduha kontrik semplicement ghax ghandhom ghalik.
Mhux ta’ b’xejn nixtieq nemigra darba ghal dejjem.
You have my utmost respect on this.
So if you ask for her to come to the witness stand, she HAS to come in, right?
[Daphne – She has to anyway, given that it’s her suit. You can’t fight a case unless you appear in court.]
Where’s Ariadne the Hopeless?
Thawdet fil-kobba u ntilfet fil-labirint.
Go get ’em, Daphne.
I have been asking myself how a married couple with children can live poles apart for years on end.
The situation was highly suspect but I had not realised that I was paying for Konrad Mizzi’s alimony from my meagre wages’ tax share.
Sometimes I wonder whether or not people actually understand exactly how stupid and horrible the Malta Labour Party is.
I am not talking about a political party I disagree with, like the Tory party in the UK for example.
Nor am I talking about a political party that has a clearly dark agenda, like UKIP, another British political party.
I am talking about a party whose idea of leadership is “get people to follow you” and not “I actually have a direction in which I want to take you”.
With all this, and everything else that the Labour Party has done (or not done for that matter) I think we are looking at a government that literally has nothing.
There is no job for Sai Mizzi, like there is no contract or new power station.
Is it so unreasonable to think that? I don’t think so.
Those who use the “think positive” religion usually end up being people with nothing to give and everything to hide, which is why it is the preferred tool for pyramid schemes.
I believe that there will come a time where pointing out that there is no new power station would be considered negative or libellous because it is a threat to the delusional mindset that the Labour Party needs to carry on living the fantasy that they are actually governing the country.
That is what I think this government is: nothing but a bunch of adult babies playing “house”, with no clue as to what they are supposed to be doing, thinking that all this is for them to enjoy rather than govern.
Well done, Malta. You really backed the wrong horse there.
I think Joseph Muscat had better call a cabinet meeting and tell all his men to keep their fly zipped. At this rate Michelle is going to start asking questions too.
Michelle had better beware of the soldiers of steel.
Why do you think that he was sent to Brussels?
A+ Why, do you think it was “You either send him to Brussels, or I leave”?
I wonder who will be the magistrate to hear this case.
Mhux xi Hon. Wenzu Mintoff probabbli.
[Daphne – Libel suits are heard by magistrates, not judges.]
Kemm jaghggel – wara siegha fetah il-kawza. Lanqas jaf f’xiex dahal. Ara Owen Bonnici kemm kien aktar kawt.
Il-kbir ghadu gej. It-tajn li qieghed jitfa lil haddiehor qieghed jispicca f’wiccu.
If Sai and Konrad Mizzi have nothing to hide, then Sai Mizzi should make her contract public, seeing that the government is keeping it firmly under wraps.
Konrad Mizzi’s libel suit was filed faster than Enemalta can answer the line for reporting electricity faults.
Incidentally, I noticed a bit of fraudulent publicity by Enemalta (MCCAA please take note) – their freephone number is not free at all.
The call is actually free. What you’re paying for is his wife’s perks.
I love you, I love you, I love you………
Prosit Daphne, you managed to achieve what the Opposition has not even tried to do.
You have cornered KonRat right and proper and he has fallen into a well-prepared trap.
Now that famous contract will have to be produced and it will become more clear how the tax payer has been literally screwed.
I very much doubt though whether Sai would even bother to come and testify.
I hope this case turns out to be as relevant for Malta as Mintoff’s interminable speeches that helped bring down Sant.
It’s just a matter of time before one stack crumbles, with their level of professional undertaking.
I can see the scenario where journalists ask the prime minister about the information revealed here and he would retort with “There is a court case about this. I prefer to wait for the outcome of that case,” while the furrow on his forehead turns into the Grand Canyon.
Checkmate.
This is so well worked out that Saviour Balzan’s oil scandal looks like chicken shit at this point.
How about some security camera footage from the Hilton ?
The contract can be changed, can’t it?
I was asking the same question. I assume the original copy should have been deposited somewhere… but I inclined to never trust these bunch of incompetent liars.
Had they wanted to change it, they would have done when originally asked. If they change it now, it would amount to perjury
Why do we have to believe there is a contract in the first place?
There is no contract to be changed. There probably is NO SAI contract like there is NO CONROT power station, like there is no JOEY roadmap.
There is no contract, wanna bet?
A contract has to be signed by the two parties, and filed and registered somewhere.
Of course this government run by crooks will try and find a way, but they will always get caught.
Il-kawza mhux ha tibda watt ghax Sai mhux ha tigi Malta u tirriskja li tmur lura b’xejn.
Staving off the plaintiff’s rebuttal is going to require some quality evidence.
Con-Rat is very fast. He sued within an hour. He does everything i-m-m-e-d-i-a-t-e-l-y.
Except the power station.
Konrat is astonishingly fast.
Ic-cuc fetah l-ghatu t’ borma tghali u ser jinstamtu hafna nies mieghu. Hmar minn dejjem.
A Kon-ered Rat will fight back viciously.
Nothing made in China lasts long.
https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.pullicinoorlandoiii?fref=ts
Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando Smith, stop whining. We know that you’re not doing this out of the love you have for others and that you are merely using them simply because you’re scared yourself.
‘Look who’s talking now’.
JPO (S): when you don’t know what to say, it is time to be silent. That time, for you, was ages ago.
Konrad jista’ ikun biss zewg affarijiet: jew sfaccat u wiccu miksi biex jehles mill-mara tieghu b’dan il-mod bit-tama li hadd ma jinduna bl-affari, jew cuc minn dawk il-kbar.
Jien cert li hu cuc.
Meanwhile, speaking of Konrad, would you imagine a tanker full of gas inside a port in the eye of a mini-cyclone?
And this bunch of crooks incriminated Enemalta’s ex-chairman for withdrawing 200 euros from a cash machine while overseas on business, once only. This man is stealing 13,000 euros a month.
Kondomrat – safe, cheap but made in China
Boy oh boy you sure have ConRat by the proverbial balls.
How can you say that?
Now he can say : FENOMENALI
Is it me, or does something tell me that Sai has got something on Konrad or someone high up in the PL up her sleeve, and she’s leveraging that against a very good pay package?
If it was just Konrad’s fling that got her the package, then she’s one heck of a negotiator. Just a hunch.
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Made In China.
So if you want a European passport you can buy one in Malta and if you want a speedy divorce you can get one in China.
Kif tista tafda bniedem din il-kwalita biex imexxi zewg ministeri?
Lanqas kapaci jikkontrolla kwart laham ahseb u ara il-ministeri tas-sahha u l-energiija.
Hajjithom mibnija fuq il-gideb u l-haxi. Kemm konna ahjar meta konna aghar.
Gas down gol-hajt tefghuna dal-qatta rghiba, hallelin u nkompetenti.
I don’t understand why his lawyers didn’t advise him against suing. Are they dumb or something?
Or is it that Con-rat dumb enough to lie to his own lawyers?
For lawyers it’s all grist to the mill – however limp one’s case.
The important thing is that the more difficult it is, the higher the fee expected.
Maybe Joseph is now making a fall guy out of Konrad.
Muscat needs a fall guy for the power station debacle like a fish needs water and everyone knows that Joseph Muscat is a lemon juicer.
Joseph: Konrad, either you sue her and win or you’re out.
So Konrad takes his last chance, hoping against all hope, that his political career survives another day.
Definitely, regarding Marsaxlokk there’s been a major discrepancy in statements which went unnoticed last week.
Muscat said six months delay, that’s completion September 2015, whereas Mizzi didn’t commit himself, just a new milestone schedule ready end this month or when negotiations finalised.
With regards to your story re Herman Grech and KM chair. The supper was arranged by Christian Peregin – former reporter at Times of Malta. He was present for supper as he is now acting as personal communications advisor for Maria Micallef.
U Xarabank jehli zewg programmi fuq il-Malta Eurovision Song Contest.
oh look they have actually spelt out your name
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/court_and_police/45930/konrad_mizzi_files_libel_against_caruana_galizia_over_allegations#.VF0uvPTF_PM
On another note, when is your libel against Aaron Farrugia going to start being heard?
[Daphne – This month.]
As this topic came up, when is the recounting of votes on the 8th and 13th districts going to start? Or is it being postponed until after the next election?
For a former partner of a consultancy in the UK, he displays some serious lack of judgement.
That or he was forced to file that libel suit by someone Machiavellian.
A few weeks ago you wrote that he was kept on a short leash.
Why, didn’t the power station debacle prove that he has no sense of judgement?
This is a good article to read by another very competent woman.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-11-07/blogs-opinions/Ministers-on-bimbos-6736125154
Jien nahdem u huma jahxu.
Hekk hu.
Ghal min hu Laburist genwin hija aghar minn hekk. “Jien nafdhom u huma jahxu u jerdaw. Jien nivvotalhom u huma jitnejku bija.”
Ahna nahdmu, u huma jahdmuna.
Sai Mizzi will cry v2.0
Sai’s tears weren’t a crocodile’s after all.
I think the following is a Gandhi quotation:
First they try to ignore you,
then they try to ridicule you,
then they fight you,
Then you win.
Daphne, they’re in their third phase. After this, you win.
Let’s leave everything in Daphne’s hands. I’m sure she had all proofs before publishing this news.
U mela.
What if it is ‘viva l Labour’ Magistrate Joanne Vella Cuschieri? Surely you will get a fair trial.
Stupid move, Con-rat.
But I am sure anything he does it is within the Muscat Party’s approval. I regard any of their moves with great scepticism and expect to be shocked in the end.
Every time they looked like they were doing something ridiculously thick, in the end we find a shocking twist.
Hope this is not one of them.
If there is a hidden agenda, I am hoping that the plot is actually against the Mizzis – just like the case of Anglu Farrugia. I hope they are using your story to indirectly throw dirt at one of theirs.
I think that is why the Labour Party pushed all three of them to sue against you, so they would cut down three problems with one axe.
The shares could also be done by the Labour elves. Who knows? We can only speculate under Muscat’s government.
You outwit them all, Daphne!