Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia confirmed in court yesterday that he did not request a right of reply to an article implicating him in the oil procurement scandal, which he found “objectionable”.

Dr Mallia and former Labour candidate David Farrugia Sacco insisted in court they were never involved in the scandal.

They told a court that articles in the Nationalist Party media alleging that they were implicated were not only “malicious” but “objectionable”.

Asked in cross examination whether he had taken action on the strength of the Press Act, such as by sending a right of reply, Dr Mallia said he had not.

He said he had given the authors a chance to retract but they did not so he had to take action.

Dr Mallia and Dr Farrugia Sacco were testifying in criminal libel proceedings they filed against former Nationalist Party general secretary Paul Borg Olivier during the electoral campaign. The case revolves around a series of articles run by PN news website maltarightnow.com which, they claimed, linked them to the oil procurement scandal.

Dr Mallia specified that he had never been interrogated by the police in connection with the scandal, whether under the previous administration or present administrations.

He told Magistrate Josette Demicoli that he had appealed to Dr Borg Olivier to retract the allegations but, once the request was refused, he felt he should take action.

Dr Mallia explained he was simply the lawyer who the Farrugia brothers of John’s Garage turned to over their allegation that their brother was siphoning off company funds.

The articles in question were reports on a press conference held by then minister Tonio Fenech.

Replying to questions under cross examination, both Dr Mallia and Dr Farrugia Sacco confirmed they had not sued any other newspapers that covered the same press conference.

They also confirmed they never watched Mr Fenech’s press conference, even though they addressed a press conference in reply to it the following morning.

The case continues.

Police Inspector Robert Vella is prosecuting while lawyer Joe Zammit Maempel is representing Dr Borg Olivier.