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	Is Anyone Telling the Truth? By Francesca Vella Malta Independent October 5, 2011 http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=133108 A cameraman has confirmed that MaltaToday journalist Karl Stagno-Navarra offered sexual abuse victim Lawrence Grech money in exchange for an interview with Al Jazeera television news network during the Pope's visit to Malta in April 2010. However, Mr Stagno-Navarra says that the claims are all nonsense, saying that the interview was not exclusive and that the discussion in question was related to a BBC interview. He also asked Lawrence Grech how much he was paid for an interview with Michele Santoro in Italy. Mr Grech, meanwhile, has accused Mr Stagno-Navarra of being "false and shockingly opportunist" and challenged the journalist to sue him for libel. But Where's Everybody cameraman Charles Ahar, who was hired by Al Jazeera, told this newspaper yesterday that he had heard the journalist – who also works as a local stringer for Al Jazeera – make the offer in a telephone conversation with Mr Grech. Karl (Stagno Navarra) had told me not to talk about the interview since it was going to be exclusive footage," explained Mr Ahar, going on to say that the interview with the sexual abuse victims was broadcast live following a meeting that the victims had with the Pope. He said he wasn't sure, but believed the amount offered was about €500. It was Mr Grech himself, in an interview with MaltaToday published three days ago, who claimed he had been offered money in exchange for an interview with Al Jazeera. He had said the promised payment never materialised. MaltaToday did not however, mention the fact that it was one of its own staff journalists, Mr Stagno Navarra, who offered Mr Grech and fellow abuse victim Joseph Magro money in exchange for the interview. In a recent interview with one of our journalists, which has not yet been published, Mr Grech and Mr Magro state that Mr Stagno Navarra had contacted the victims to meet him for an interview with Al Jazeera, and that he had told them that Al Jazeera would offer them money. This is a case where you start wondering whether anyone is telling the truth, particularly considering that Mr Stagno Navarra has categorically denied Mr Grech's allegation, describing it as "shockingly opportunist". Contacted yesterday after Mr Ahar confirmed that the journalist had made the victims a monetary offer, Mr Stagno Navarra said: "It is irrelevant… this is nonsense. As far as I know that was a discussion about money related to the BBC interview. Our interview with the victims was in no way exclusive; in fact there were other members of the media around. "Lawrence Grech has been at loggerheads with everyone; what does he want, a national order of merit? Why doesn't he say how much he was paid to go to Rome for an interview on Michele Santoro's Anno Zero?" As for the BBC interview that Mr Stagno Navarra referred to, MaltaToday reported last week: "Where's Everybody anchor Lou Bondi, acting as 'spokesman' for the clerical abuse victims, had asked a BBC journalist for money last year in return for an interview with Lawrence Grech during the Pope's visit." But Mr Ahar said he had met Mr Grech by chance some time after the papal visit and he asked whether he knew anything about the money that Mr Stagno Navarra had offered the victims. "I had spoken to Karl (Stagno Navarra) about it and he simply told me he might call Mr Grech to talk to him about the matter." Meanwhile, in reaction to what Mr Stagno Navarra said about the sexual abuse victim's comments being "false and shockingly opportunist", Mr Grech challenged the journalist to sue him for libel. "If I am lying, then you should say so face to face on a television programme; you should say so in court. Make it clear that even the cameraman asked you about the money a year later. I cannot understand how you have the cheek to give your comments to a newspaper when you yourself gave a bad name to the local media."
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