MALTA
Malta Independent
Dominican priest Fr Mark Montebello said that contrary to what The Sunday Times reported yesterday, he did not serve as an intermediary to offer money to one of the victims allegedly sexually abused by Fr Charles Fenech.
Fr Montebello wrote to the newspaper as a right of reply following yesterday’s report, saying that he had been misunderstood.
A copy of the letter was sent to other media, including The Malta Independent. It is being reproduced below.
“Dear Sir, there must have been some misunderstanding with regard to the report by Matthew Xuereb in today’s Sunday Times on the cash offered to silence the alleged victim of Fr. Charles Fenech. May I make it clear that I had not been in any way an intermediary in the matter. What happened was that, while speaking with Edgar Bonnici Cachia on the phone about some other matter, I mentioned in passing that it came to my attention that money had been offered to the alleged victim and that it had been refused. Mr Bonnici Cachia told me that he was aware of such cases and that neither he nor the alleged victim were for sale. I vouch that I had not passed on to him or to someone else any message on behalf of anyone. May I add that I consider such money offering to be unethical and immoral, and that I would never accept to be part of such dealings.”
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