Allegations made against medical consultant and Labour MP Louis Buhagiar were aimed at damaging his good name, his lawyer claimed yesterday.

Referring to media reports on the investigation by police, held at the request of the health department, Dr Jose` Herrera, acting on behalf of Mr Buhagiar, claimed the allegations were aimed "solely at damaging his good name and reputation as Dr Buhagiar himself has been claiming all along".

Dr Herrera said in a statement that recent press reports alleged that Dr Buhagiar acted unethically and even fraudulently while in the exercise of his profession at St Luke`s Hospital. He said the allegations referred to a bill issued by Dr Buhagiar to a foreign patient.

"The incident was in fact duly reported to the police who conducted their own investigations into the matter. At present I am in a position to state that all criminal allegations made against Dr Buhagiar were totally unfounded," Dr Herrera said.

Last week, The Times reported that Dr Buhagiar was being investigated by police at the request of the health department over an allegation that he overcharged a foreign patient for a service provided at St Luke`s Hospital.

A senior spokesman for the health department said the department had been contacted by St Luke`s Hospital authorities over the allegation.

Dr Buhagiar was quoted denying any wrongdoing and said that what he had done was completely above board.

The health department spokesman said it had been alleged that Dr Buhagiar charged a patient more than the normal rates for the use of the hospital`s kidney dialysis machine.