Norman Bezzina, 56, who stands accused of conspiring to import 2.2 kilos of cocaine through the post in 2001, this afternoon denied all claims made against him.

Giving evidence in his trial, Mr Bezzina said that all other witnesses in the trial were ‘lying’.

He said that witness Simon Xuereb, who had been jailed for nine years in connection with the case, and his father known as Lippu il-boxer were ‘notorious’ and one should not cross their path. They had a grudge against him because during the time when he worked in the secretariat of the Ministry of Social Policy and Mepa, Lippu wanted permission to build on 16 tumoli of land and Simon wanted to set up a kiosk opposite Magic Kiosk in Sliema, and both requests were turned down.

Mr Bezzina gave a run-down of how he used to live in Canada and said that when then Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami visited Canada, a government official encouraged him to return to Malta after he learnt about his competence in IT .

He returned to Malta and joined the Social Policy Ministry as a consultant. After 1996 he set up his own computers shop in Zebbug.

“I was never involved in drugs and actually formed part of the team which set up Sedqa and Dar il-Wens,” Mr Bezzina said.

He said that among cases which were close to his heart were those of Gianni Mifsud and his girlfriend , both former drug addicts, who had sought his help to kick the habit. He put them in a drug rehabilitation programme and they were now care workers themselves, and he had gone to their wedding.

Prosecutor Aaron Bugeja asked Mr Bezzina how all the witnesses in the trial were viewed by Mr Bezzina as lying.

Mr Bezzina insisted they were. He denied evidence given in the morning by Manuel Gauci, a former customs clearance officer at Maltapost, that he had called at the post office to collect a packet containing drugs.

Mr Bezzina said he used to collect several packages from all over the world, containing mostly clothes, to sell in a shop in Zebbug which he opened after 1992. He also used to import tools and appliances in groupage containers, notably from Canada, but never drugs.

He also denied that he had ever told Mr Gauci that a packet he had called for contained gold. He also did not know Mr Portelli, for whom the package was addressed.

Mr Bezzina said he got to know another witness, Lawrence Gatt, through shipping. At one time Mr Gatt called at his shop to buy drillers but did not pay him. He went to look for him four times in Senglea, without success, but eventually found him when he went to Senglea again Simon Xuereb, who also knew him.

He said he was surprised when three policemen called at his shop to arrest him. They arrested him and searched his shop and home. As soon as the police produced a video showing him with Simon Xuereb in Senglea, he knew that Mr Xuereb had put him in a mess. Mr Xuereb, he said repeatedly, was 'a liar' who had invented all the claims of drug importation.

Mr Gauci, Mr Bezzina said, also had a grudge because of a case when a woman called at the ministry seeking help and alleged that Mr Gauci had been demanding money from him. He had reported the case to the minister and Mr Gauci, who was then a Finance Ministry employee, had complained.

Dr Bugeja asked why Simon and Lippu Xuereb had sought his help for building permits. Mr Bezzina said that int he past some people would take a piece of paper to a minister asking for permits and the minister would sign it. But such people did not understand that things were no longer done in this way.

Dr Bugeja asked Dr Bezzina how he had sought Simon Xuereb's help to recover a payment of just Lm200 for the drillers when he claimed that Mr Xuereb had a grudge against him.

Mr Bezzina said he wanted to keep the peace and also used to greet Mr Xuereb if he saw him in the street. Furthermore, he viewed Lm200 as a lot of money.

Dr Bugeja asked how Mr Bezzina had not even mentioned Simon Xuereb in his police statement, before he saw the footage.

Mr Bezzina said he was scared of Mr Xuereb.

Concluding his evidence, Mr Bezzina said he would continue to deny the claims against him, until he died.