Jason Azzopardi, Manuel Delia File Criminal Complaints Over Scam Emails Being Sent To Newsrooms ‘With A Purpose’
Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi and journalist-activist Manuel Delia have both asked the police to investigate fake emails that were sent to various journalists and newsrooms across the country.
Over the last week, Lovin Malta has received several emails from addresses purporting to belong to journalist and civil society activist Manuel Delia. The messages, sent from different email addresses, were received by several of Lovin Malta’s journalists, as well as the newsroom’s email address.
This morning, the Malta Independent reported that it had also received similar emails, this time from Azzopardi.
The contents of the emails appear to be intended to embarrass Delia and Azzopardi. Emails received by Lovin Malta took the form of apologies by Delia for his “misconduct over the last months”.
This newsroom has also received emails supposedly from civil society group Repubblika calling for protection for Yorgen Fenech’s lawyers and distancing itself from hate campaigns by “some journalists and lawyers”.
“As is obvious from the content, the emails are phishing attempts to fool their recipients. I have reported the matter to the police,” Delia told Lovin Malta when asked for comment.
Azzopardi similarly said that the emails were fake, adding that the emails were being fabricated “with a purpose”.
“I have filed a formal police report with the Police Commissioner for a criminal investigation into this,” Azzopardi added.
It must be a coincidence, but these fabricated emails – traced to a fake email generator in the Czech Republic – sound exactly like the conspiracy theories the defence is pushing in Malta to claim a fair trial breach.https://t.co/44RtpWlFNT
— Paul Caruana Galizia (@pcaruanagalizia) August 26, 2021
Paul Caruana Galizia, the son of the late journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, linked the scam emails to his mother’s murder case.
“It must be a coincidence, but these fabricated emails – traced to a fake email generator in the Czech Republic – sound exactly like the conspiracy theories the defence is pushing in Malta to claim a fair trial breach,” Caruana Galizia tweeted.
Both uploaded posts questioning the judge’s decision to preside over the case given that, it had emerged, he had purchased a boat from the accused’s father in 2008.
Questions were also raised about whether the judge could even grant bail, given that a Bill of Indictment had been filed.
Delia is a member of the civil society group Repubblika while Azzopardi is the Caruana Galizia family lawyer.
Both have been at the forefront of the fight for justice in the Caruana Galizia case and are regularly the target of campaigns intended to discredit them, especially at critical junctures in the case.
What do you make of this?
READ NEXT: How Many Electric Car Charging Pillars Should Be In Malta Already, According To PN
