(Updated on Sunday)

Nationalist backbencher Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando today accused former PN general secretary Joe Saliba of using all the PN's machinery to push for the acceptance of Polidano's cement factory.

But Mr Saliba denied the allegation saying this was a blatant lie.

"The issue of the cement factory was nearly dead when I became general secretary," Mr Saliba said this afternoon.

However, in another entry on Facebook on Sunday, Dr Pullicino Orlando said:

"I stand by what I said and anyone who feels that I am lying should feel free to take legal action."

Earlier today (Saturday), Dr Pullicino Orlando wrote on his Facebook wall that in his campaign against the cement factory, he had encountered strong opposition from  Mr Saliba who used all the party machinery to push for the acceptance of the factory.

"I used to wonder why until I got to know that he was employed by Mr Polidano as a consultant.

"Mr Polidano boasted that he used to pay him thousands of euro every month for his services," Dr Pullicino Orlando alleged.

But Mr Saliba said this was a blatant lie.

"I never worked for Polidano and as PN general secretary I was never his consultant."

Mr Saliba said he became PN general secretary in June 1999 when the cement factory issue was mainly in 1998. By the time he took over, the issue had nearly died down.

The former PN general secretary said he was now out of politics and did not speak as a politician. However, he never spoke to Dr Pullicino Orlando on the matter and as Dr Pullicino Orlando knew well enough, it was he who had defended him within the PN on a number of issues.

On his Facebook wall, Dr Pullicino Orlando wrote that he will support Franco Debono's motion on party-financing but not his stand regarding the no-confidence motion presented by the opposition.

Dr Pullicino Orlando said he appreciated how relevant legislation in this respect was used during his involvement in the campaign against the cement factory proposed by Charles Polidano ic-Caqnu.