Home Affairs Ministry chief of staff, Silvio Scerri, this afternoon repeatedly denied ever being involved in the termination of the deployment of television presenter Norman Vella with state broadcaster PBS.

Mr Scerri said he was not involved at all in the matter and, in fact, learnt of it through the media.

He was testifying during libel proceedings he instituted against television personality John Bundy over the latter’s claim that he had heard the former issuing the order for the re-deployment to be terminated.

Mr Scerri took exception to Mr Bundy’s assertion, which he repeated described as “a blatant lie” during the course of his testimony before Magistrate Francesco Depasquale.

Mr Bundy told the Employment Commission earlier this month how he happened to be at the ministry at the time when he heard Mr Scerri issue the order for Mr Vella to be returned to his job at the Immigration Department.

He said Mr Scerri was speaking to a certain “Anton” at the time, ostensibly referring to PBS chief executive Anton Attard. Mr Attard is denying that Mr Scerri ever spoke to him about this matter.

Mr Scerri filed libel proceedings over a story carried in Times of Malta on June 5.

He told the court this afternoon that the decisions on re-deployment fell squarely with the Prime Minister’s Office so he did not feel or see the need to involve himself, despite admitting that PBS fell in his ministry’s responsibilities, as did the Immigration Department.

He said his only explanation on why Mr Bundy said this, as they were friends before this incident, was because he (MR Bundy) “expected something from me that I could not give him”.

Under cross examination, Mr Scerri said he never asked about Mr Vella’s case and only followed the matter through what was reported in the media.

However, he said he did not read the report quoting his ministry’s permanent secretary, Kevin Mahoney, telling an employment commission that it was he (Dr Mahoney) who had taken the decision to transfer Mr Vella.

He also denied ever discussing complaints PBS used to receive regarding Mr Vella’s political bias with Dr Mahoney, as the latter had said during his testimony.

Mr Scerri also denied calling Times of Malta to issue a denial that he had taken the decision - as Mr Bundy was claiming – and that he did not see the need of instituting libel proceedings against Times of Malta since it was quoting something Mr Bundy had said.

The case continues in December.

Lawyer Robert Abela is appearing for Mr Bundy while lawyer Edward Gatt is appearing for Mr Scerri.