Matthew Vella
A long-standing feud between two neighbours – Labour party whip Joe Mizzi, and the sole candidate for the Liberal Democratic Alliance, John Zammit – led to threatening emails posted on Mizzi’s website and a threat by Zammit to kill his dog.
Zammit, known for his role in the Men’s Rights Association and the Malta Divorce Movement he co-founded with lawyer Emmy Bezzina, was called in for questioning at the Bormla police station for allegedly posting malicious messages on Mizzi’s website.
He released the contents of the interrogation by fax.
Zammit was questioned about “malicious” emails he sent on two occasions in March on the website www.joemizzi.org. Zammit claimed he was “in ecstasy” due to his bitter feud with Mizzi, who is his next-door neighbour.
According to the police statement, Zammit threatened Mizzi’s wife with killing his dog, for fear that it would bite him.
He told the interrogating officers that Mizzi had been out for him since his decision to contest for the 1987 general elections: “When I was a Labour candidate on the second district in 1987, Joe Mizzi thought I should not contest and he threatened he would destroy me (ikissirni). And that’s what he did,” Zammit told police inspector Jesmond Borg.
Zammit, who is separated, told the inspector he also suspected Mizzi of having spread false rumours about him being a cuckold when he separated from his wife in 1987.
“Mintoff wanted me to contest the elections in 1987. I was then a canvasser for Joe Grima, who as tourism minister appointed me secretary on a tourism committee for Cottonera. I used to publish a newspaper called ‘Il-Kottonera u l-Madwar’ and Mizzi didn’t want to advertise in my newspaper, and that’s where our feud started…
“When I contested the 1994 local council elections, I got to know that Mizzi had organised a block vote against me. Since then the damage against me just continued to grow… although Mizzi gets on with me, he is double-faced because he stabs me in the back with his vindicatory acts…
“He does this because he knows I am contesting the European Parliament elections and he is contesting the same elections. Mizzi has reported me to the police because he wants to take a stab at me before the elections. He is trying to assassinate my character.”