Michael Frendo denies Richard Muscat's claim

Former Foreign Minister Michael Frendo has denied that Malta's campaign for the post of Commonwealth secretary general had anything to do with Richard Muscat's resignation as Ambassador to Ireland.

"I absolutely and categorically deny that at any point in my meeting with Richard Muscat, in which I asked for his resignation, I told him that he was 'in my way'," Dr Frendo said.

"I have never used this sort of language 'of standing in my way' with anyone in 30 years of political service," he added.

He was yesterday reacting to The Sunday Times article in which Mr Muscat claimed Dr Frendo told him to resign his diplomatic post because he was "in the way" of his bid to become Commonwealth secretary general.

Mr Muscat said in an interview that an allegation of sexual assault was made against his son in Ireland in October 2006 and broke in the Irish tabloids in August 2007, and the Foreign Minister felt this would deal a blow to his campaign.

However, Dr Frendo has made it clear that he expected him to resign from his diplomatic post because, as Malta's Ambassador to Ireland, he had knowingly withheld the allegations from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Dr Frendo learnt about the allegations when the story first made headlines in the Irish media.