PL and PN Media Houses Debt € 20 Million to Government
The Labor Party and its respective media house are said to have around € 10 million in debt from unpaid VAT, stamp duties, and water and electricity bills.
The figure was reported by Today who also said that the PN media company owed € 12 million to the government in the same respect.
One TV Chairman Jason Micallef did not confirm the actual amount but did not deny that the debt was in the millions. In view of the sum made, he said that the repayment agreements were firmly in place.
The news follows the recent announcement by PN leader Bernard Grech that the party is € 32 million in the red, losing thousands of euros due to his media company Media.Link Communications.
But despite the emerging figures, questions are still being asked of the respective media outlets regarding the publication of their accounts.
Lovin Malta widely reported as ONE Productions Ltd and Media.Link, the media branches of PL and PN respectively, came in several years late to present their accounts.
Thus, the two major political parties challenged the law requiring businesses to submit audited accounts each year. Neither the PL nor the PN media companies have been publishing them for years.
The last ONE Productions presented their accounts in 2010, while Media.Link published their last in 2005, for the year ending September 2003.
Both Prime Minister Robert Abela and Leader of the Opposition Bernard Grech have recognized that their media companies have not presented their accounts for years and have repeatedly promised to resolve the situation, but without giving any timetable.
Lovin Malta active court case challenged the constitutionality of a specific provio in the Broadcasting Act that allows party stations to be biased in reporting news and current affairs in violation of the constitution.
Website, Boxers.comwas also set up to explain the details of the case and why Lovin Malta decided to open it in the first place.
Micallef was said to have testified in February, but failed to appear in court and was therefore found guilty of contempt of court and fined € 100, with the court issuing a warrant for the officers to accompany him to the next hearing.
Today, he also reported that Micallef is expected to leave ONE Productions in the near future.
What do you do with the numbers?