A judge in Malta on Wednesday (March 4) found an ex-gay Christian not guilty of advertising therapies to reverse homosexuality, ending three years of legal uncertainty for the singer.
Magistrate Monica Vella delivered the verdict for Matthew Grech, 33, who faced up to five months in prison and a 5,000-euro fine if convicted of violating the Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender and Gender Expression Act. Outside the Courts of Justice on Republic Street this morning, Grech called the decision a “win for truth and freedom.”
The court also acquitted journalists Mario Camilleri and Rita Bonnici, presenters of PMnews Malta, who hosted an interview in 2022 that led to the prosecution. Rights group Christian Concern described the acquittal of the journalists as a “further win for freedom of the press.”
Grech, a church worker who left a gay lifestyle after becoming a Christian, issued a public statement after the case closed.
“From the very beginning, I have been clear that I committed no crime,” Grech said. “I was never guilty of anything except speaking openly about my own life, about my spiritual journey to becoming a Christian, and the profound difference and freedom that my faith has made in every aspect of who I am.”
Malta became the first European Union country to ban conversion therapy in 2016.
Grech faced prosecution for allegedly advertising conversion practices during an interview on PMnews Malta, a free-speech media platform. Grech shared his testimony of becoming a born-again Christian and voluntarily leaving a homosexual lifestyle. The program introduced him as a representative of the International Federation for Therapeutic and Counselling Choice (IFTCC).
Defense attorneys asserted that the charges violated Grech’s fundamental rights under Article 41 of the Constitution of Malta and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The defense team maintained that Grech expressed personal faith and identity in the interview rather than an advertisement for therapy.
Magistrate Vella ruled that the prosecution failed to prove either a criminal act or criminal intent. The judge noted that the broadcast occurred in 2022, before the government introduced 2023 amendments that broadened the definition of advertising. Applying those definitions retroactively would breach legal principles, the court held.
In the interview, Grech referenced scientific perspectives about addressing trauma through talking therapy, which can “sometimes reduce same-sex attraction and gender confusion,” Christian Concern stated. Grech reportedly dismissed the term “conversion therapy” and instead explained his perspective of biblical faith.
“I understood that in the Bible, homosexuality is not an identity as we make it nowadays,” Grech said at the time. “And neither is it a feeling, but a practice. This means that no matter what sexual feelings a man or a woman experiences, if they have sexual relations with a person of the same sex, they commit the homosexual act in God’s eyes, and that is a sin.”
Grech stated that, as with any other sin, a person can repent, ask God for forgiveness and ask Him for strength to overcome. “I’m talking here from a Christian perspective,” he added.
Silvan Agius, an LGBTQI+ activist and senior European Union equality official, filed the police report accusing Grech of unlawfully advertising conversion practices. Agius, who serves in the cabinet of EU Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli, filed the complaint alongside activists Cynthia Chircop and Christian Attard.
Grech said in his statement today that the case turned his life upside down despite his not harming anyone in the past “three long years.” He pointed out that he suffered not for breaking the law, but for sharing his personal testimony of hope and renewal on a podcast.
“This prosecution should never have been brought,” Grech said. “I believe it was politically motivated and entirely without merit. It has exposed the danger of loosely worded criminal laws that can be stretched and applied at will. When laws are unclear, they become tools and tools in the wrong hands can become weapons.”
Grech noted that during the past three years, the process itself became the punishment. He endured emotional strain, reputational damage, financial cost, and constant uncertainty.
“No one should have to live under the weight of criminal charges simply for exercising their right to free speech,” he said.
Grech also called the judge’s decision a reaffirmation of a fundamental principle: speaking about one’s lived experience. He pointed out that if this includes the transforming power of Christ, it is not a crime.
“That this should happen in Malta with the support of the wider European political network should be a warning to the world,” Grech said. “Throughout this ordeal, my constitutional rights were compromised, including my right to a fair and efficient trial. Accountability matters. No civilized authority in the world should have the power to censor and make its citizens suffer as has happened to me simply for expressing the Christian faith and the morality that flows from it.”
He added that he holds no bitterness and that today is about freedom. Saying he hopes no one else in Malta or elsewhere will suffer for sharing their life experience and faith, Grech said the acquittal sends a clear message that free speech matters.
“The right to self-determination matters,” Grech said. “And the law must never be weaponized to silence lawful Christian testimony. I stand here today grateful, grateful to my legal team, grateful to those who supported me, and above all grateful to God, whose transforming grace is the very story I was prosecuted for telling. Truth does not become illegal because, to some it is unpopular. Today, freedom has won.”
Mike Davidson, founder of the IFTCC and Core Issues Trust, testified in Grech’s defense at the last hearing. He clarified that Grech had never undergone therapy related to his sexuality and did not act as an insider to such practices. Davidson expressed relief that the court provided clarity in the case.
“At its heart was a simple but vital principle – that individuals must be free to speak about their own lived experience without fear of criminal sanction,” Davidson said.
The Christian Legal Centre (CLC) supported Grech’s defense. The legal rights group claimed that Grech had been a “marked man in Malta” since making headlines in 2018 for telling his story as a contestant on X Factor Malta. Agius, whose responsibilities include inclusion and equality, called Grech’s story “problematic,” according to Christian Concern.
“Today’s not‑guilty verdict is a clear and decisive victory, not only for Matthew, but for Christian freedom and free speech across the world,” said Andrea Williams, chief executive officer of the CLC. “After years of pressure, the attempt to criminalize him has collapsed because the prosecution could never coherently define what ‘conversion therapy’ even means.”
Williams called it a politically loaded term with no grounding in fact. She said the case exposed how activists sought to “weaponize the law” to silence people who express mainstream Christian beliefs about sexuality and identity.
“There was never any credible evidence justifying the charges brought against him, only an aggressive campaign to shut down viewpoints that diverge from a prevailing ideology,” Williams added.
Williams noted the dangerous nature of the case, citing the fact that the prosecution included broadcasters who challenged Grech during the interview.
“Today’s acquittal sends an unmistakable message: attempts to criminalize Christian teaching and testimony will not stand,” Williams said. “This is a win for Malta, for Europe and for all who care about free speech and freedom of religion worldwide.”
