“I want to mess up Jason Azzopardi” – Saviour Balzan

Saviour Balzan had lied about the extent of his involvement with the Castille clique and Yorgen Fenech, and hid the fact, even from his friends and some of his most trusted employees, that he had extensively commingled with Keith Schembri and Yorgen Fenech and conspired with Yorgen Fenech to attack elements of the Opposition. Saviour Balzan was even paid for this service to Yorgen Fenech in exchange for advertising for his TV programmes.

Let’s be very clear here. Saviour Balzan, who owned Illum with Keith Schembri, weaponised his press against the Opposition. When he was exposed for this, he reacted by launching libellous accusations, including accusing Jason Azzopardi of being my source for Yorgen Fenech’s chats and claiming that I had blackmailed him. All of this was untrue.

What is true, however, is Jason Azzopardi’s claim that there was a diabolical conspiracy, funded by Yorgen Fenech, to push him out of politics, which was coordinated by Saviour Balzan and former Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia. This campaign was successful. This is not a good page in Maltese history because it is a clear example of criminal money helping to end the political career of an Opposition politician who was critical of government corruption.

Socialists would have been furious at such an event, but they are nowhere to be seen.

You can find this particular exchange between Saviour Balzan and Yorgen Fenech here.