President Emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca considers legal action against Lovin’ Malta

President Emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preco has issued the following statement:

“I refer to a report published by media website Lovin’ Malta on February 16, 2021, entitled ‘Malta’s President Appears in Planned Leak from PN Head of Media and Yorgen Fenech’.
The report stated: “In January 2019, when Marie Louise Coleiro occupied the role (President of Malta), Portelli reached out to Fenech to leak a story claiming that the PN’s rebel MPs were meeting with the then-President to oust Adrian Delia from the leadership.”

1. The notion that I was somehow involved in a coup against the Leader of the Opposition, while I served as President of Malta, is both serious in nature – because it gives the impression I abused my constitutional office to undermine another constitutional office – and untrue.
2. Despite the serious damage such an imputation could have on my reputation, as well as on the constitutional position as Head of State with which I served with correctness and immense pride, Lovin’ Malta did not have the basic courtesy to seek my comment or reaction before publishing its report.
3. After the report appeared, I personally made contact with Lovin’ Malta’s founder Christian Peregin and offered him the opportunity to set the record straight in my regard. My requests were ignored, bar a change in the heading of the report which was amended thus: ‘PN Head of Media and Yorgen Fenech wanted to leak article claiming rebels (sic) MPs were meeting Malta’s President’.
4. Given these unethical and intransigent actions by Lovin’ Malta, I have been left with no alternative than to seek legal advice on this matter and I reserve all my rights at law to take action over this shameful lie.”