In one of his reactions to Mr Connor’s claims, Mr Dalli accused the Bahamian landlord of making up the story because he was a disgruntled client of his daughter.

In a statement issued on his behalf by his daughter, Claire, earlier this week, Mr Dalli accused Mr Connor of spreading claims against him in a series of “threatening e-mails” to his daughter.

Shortly after these e-mails, comments were posted over pseudonyms in a couple of blogs containing the same allegations Mr Connor had made in the e-mails, the statement added.

In a phone interview with Times of Malta, Mr Connor denied making any threats other than a warning that he would sue for compensation after he failed to get paid for several months for rent due.

The villa had been rented for an entire year but the entourage left in September and Mr Connor said he then chased Ms Gauci Borda for the rent owed.

He said he even travelled to Malta – where the Connors have friends – between December and March to speak to Ms Gauci Borda directly at a duplex apartment in Sliema, which served as a base for Tyre Ltd.

Though the Bahamas villa was leased by the company, it was Ms Gauci Borda who signed the papers.

Ms Gauci Borda is known to have been arguing that she did not owe Mr Connor any money but Tyre Ltd did.

Mr Connor had kept demanding the money from her. “I did not accept to rent my property to companies, only to individuals and there was Claire’s signature on the contract,” he insisted.

When confronted with Mr Dalli’s charge that his claims were payback for Mr Gauci Borda rejecting his business propositions, Mr Connor said he had been paid in full eventually for the rent and he had “no beef” with Mr Dalli.

“If people ask me questions I will speak. I have nothing to worry about,” he said.

Mr Connor said he had offered Ms Gauci Borda to help broker a gold deal with an Italian contact so “they could make money and pay the rent I was owed”.

The deal never materialised.