Newspaper editor cleared of libeling police inspector

Former It-Torca editor Aleks Farrugia has been acquitted of libel after a a court ruled that a story about a controversial arraignment was "substantially correct".  The newspaper had reported in August 2013 that Inspector Elton Taliana knew that Darryl Luke Borg had been remanded in custody after being charged by mistake but did nothing to alert his superiors and make amends.  Mr Borg, 27, had been arrested in connection with a hold-up at a Birkirkara shop following an investigation by the Criminal Investigations Department. A few days later, however, another person, Roderick Grech, had admitted to the crime in a separate investigation. That investigation was led by Inspector Taliana, who at the time was stationed at the Birkirkara district. The incident had sparked controversy, to the point that the police commissioner at the time, Peter Paul Zammit, had launched an inquiry and a separate probe by the police board to establish who had been at fault. Mr Taliana had opened libel proceedings against It-Torca after feeling aggrieved by a story published on August 13, 2013, which said that he had been aware of the mistake but did nothing. In its decision, the court presided by...

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