A law student who works with the Nationalist Party was this morning “insulted and called names” by former MPs Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Franco Debono, the PN said.

Both Dr Debono and Dr Pullicino Orlando have outrightly denied insulting or attacking Mr Azzopardi or any other person.

Nicky Azzopardi

In a statement expressing solidarity with Nicky Azzopardi, the PN said the incident took place in Rabat early this morning, when Mr Azzopardi was also attacked and beaten by a person whose name has not yet been divulged.

The police confirmed that a fight had taken place at around 5am but said they had no further information about the matter at the moment.

The PN condemned without reservations “the scandalous behaviour” of Mr Pullicino Orlando and Dr Debono, who, it said, had yet again, proven they were not deserving of the public posts they had been given.

It said that their behaviour should not be tolerated and should be condemned by all those who believed in full respect in a democratic society.

The PN said it was publicly insisting that the matter and bring to justice all those who, in one way or another, were aggressive with Mr Azzopardi.

But Dr Debono said that when he arrived at the site of the incident, which took place at the bar known as is-Serkin, he found Mr Azzopardi insulting Dr Pullicino Orlando and calling him 'clown' pulcinell.

Dr Debono said Mr Azzopardi was also telling Dr Pullicino Orlando that he was recording him and he (Dr Debono) invited him to record him instead as there was a lot he could tell him. He said that he warned Dr Pullicino Orlando not to touch Mr Azzopardi and at no point during his presence was Mr Azzopardi touched by him or anybody else.

The former MP said Mr Azzopardi also insulted him in front of the police and pointed out that such things had never happened to him.

"I am respected everywhere I go. He came to provoke me. I did not touch him, neither did Dr Pullicino Orlando, at least while I was there," Dr Debono said.

Dr Pullicino Orlando also denied saying anything abusive against Nationalists. He said he with a group that included Nationalists and he would not insult his friends in that way.

He said Mr Azzopardi approached him unprovoked as he was sipping coffee on the pavement and began insulting him and his family, at which point, he (Mr Azzopardi) was pushed away by other young people at the bar who started to chant Labour slogans.

He confirmed that Dr Debono, who arrived on the scene coincidentally, was warning him and others not to touch Mr Azzopardi.

In a statement he said that the PN's allegation "is an absolute lie and anyone who was in the crowded establishment will testify to this fact.

"It is obvious that his intention was to provoke a serious incident," he said.

Mr Azzopardi confirmed that he approached Dr Pullicino Orlando first after he heard him being insulting to Nationalists but did not insult his family.

“I just told him that things had changed. I told him I was a friend of his son and had even attended a party at his house but did not remember him being rude in public and insulting to Nationalists.”

“When he became aggressive I asked him, what shall I do, record you?... And then Franco Debono started screeching and telling me to record him,” Mr Azzopardi said, adding that he did not remember Dr Debono telling people not to hurt him.

Mr Azzopardi said that another person who he did not recognise punched him twice in the face breaking his glasses in the process.

PN LEADER CALLS FOR PUBLIC INQUIRY

In a statement this evening, PN leader Simon Busuttil has called for an inquiry into the behaviour of Dr Pullicino Orlando and Dr Debono.

Dr Busuttil said that in view that both men were public officers - Dr Pullicino Orlando was chairman of the Malta Council for Science and Technology and Dr Debono was Law Commissioner, he was calling on the Prime Minister to appoint a board to investigate their behaviour in the incident in line with the Inquiries Act.

This Inquiries Act, which applies to any board appointed or authorised by law, covers “the conduct of public officers, or of officers or servants of a statutory body, or of anyone or more of such public officers or officers or servants”.

Dr Busuttil insisted that the two men’s behaviour was "scandalous and unacceptable" in a democratic European society, particularly when it came from people trusted with public posts who should give a good example to the rest of society.

The Nationalist Party, he said, would not tolerate any intimidation to its workers or its media and those who ended up victims of behaviour such as that shown by Dr Pullicino Orlando and Dr Debono would find the party behind them, defending their rights.

In a reaction, Dr Debono said the law and not Dr Busuttil stipulated when an inquiry should be held.

He insisted that he did not do anything to Mr Azzopardi and pointed out that he was metres away when and if he was hit.

If Dr Busuttil wanted an inquiry he should hold one to see where the PN's money had gone, he said.

PM's REACTION

In a brief statement, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said he had confidence the police would take all necessary steps in any case they were faced with.

Dr Muscat said he noted Dr Busuttil’s sense of proportion in requesting a public inquiry on an exchange of words at a pastizzi shop but failed to say anything about the biggest scandal in oil procurement in the country’s history.

Later, Dr Busuttil accused Dr Muscat of being afraid to appoint an inquiry in spite of all his talk of accountability and high standards in public behaviour during the electoral campaign.