Government blasts Sant's 'shameful' strategy

The government has accused Opposition Leader Alfred Sant of using the case of a person with mental health problems and twisting the truth to gain political advantage.

It was referring to the son of Malta's Ambassador to Ireland questioned by the Irish police in connection with claims of sexual assault made by a 20-year-old student. Richard Muscat has since resigned as Ambassador to Ireland.

The government said it was shameful that Dr Sant had no limits to his political strategy to twist the facts in order to score political points. It said Dr Sant is aware of the 35-year-old's condition and using it to his political advantage could never be justified.

"Dr Sant is being very insensitive towards the Muscat family which is going through a difficult patch. It would be better if the Opposition Leader divulged the motivation behind his attack towards the family," the government said.

Dr Sant has denied focusing on Mr Muscat's family matters. Writing in The Times yesterday he said they were not the issue and he had never mentioned them. The issues were rather whether diplomatic immunity was invoked over the incident and whether the ambassador informed the government about it.

Mr Muscat resigned on Saturday after the Dublin girl told the press about the assault that allegedly took place last October. She was under the impression that her alleged attacker would not be charged because he had invoked diplomatic immunity.

The girl has alleged that the attacker had placed his hand down her top before she managed to escape and contacting the police.

Mr Muscat has denied that his son, who has a long-standing mental health problem, ever invoked diplomatic immunity. Moreover, the chief executive officer of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has said that Christina Leech-Cleary was never told "absolutely" that no charges would be brought against her alleged assailant but only that there was a possibility that the case might not go ahead and that the alleged attacker might enjoy diplomatic immunity. The Irish police have sent the file to the Director of Public Prosecutions who is to decide whether to press charges.

Although he initially told The Times he saw no reason to resign from his post, Mr Muscat tendered his resignation the following day. The Foreign Ministry accepted his resignation and waived diplomatic immunity with regard to his son.