§ 37. Mr. Eric Fletcherasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make available in the Library a full report of the recent decision of the Criminal Court of Appellate Jurisdiction of Malta in the Royal University Council case, together with a list of the previous convictions for libel against Mr. J. J. Scorey, the Editor of the "Malta Bulletin" newspaper.
Mr. Creech JonesI am prepared to make the report of the judgment available in the Library as soon as I receive a copy from Malta. I am not however ready to provide a list of previous convictions.
§ Mr. FletcherIn view of the misleading report in some sections of the Press about this case, will my right hon. Friend confirm that the criminal proceedings against Mr. Scorey were instituted not by the Governor of Malta, but by the Prime Minister acting through the police? Will he also confirm that there are five previous convictions against this editor.
Mr. Creech JonesI believe that the answer to the second part of the supplementary question is in the affirmative. I would also say that the prosecution was not initiated by the Governor of Malta but through the normal machinery of Government there, at the instance of the Prime Minister.