Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia said he had not been consulted about, nor seen, the statement on the shooting incident involving his security driver before it was issued.

Speaking heatedly, he told Parliament last night that nobody could attack his integrity, insisting again that he had no hand in any suspected cover-up.

Opposition MP Francis Zammit Dimech.

Dr Mallia was reacting to rapid-fire questions from Opposition MP Francis Zammit Dimech, who cast doubts on how the minister could have been attending an event at Police Headquarters and the Acting Police Commissioner did not tell him about what was happening.

The minister said Dr Zammit Dimech was making assumptions. He had been seated at a different table from that of the Acting Commissioner, but had seen people approaching him. The first inkling he had had of trouble was when the Acting Commissioner told him that his car had been fired on.

He had not followed the Acting Commissioner to the room of the police Community and Media Relations Unit upstairs, and had no knowledge of any order for a low-loader to be dispatched immediately to remove the car fired on.

Dr Mallia said he had not been consulted or informed about the initial statement issued by the ministry, and neither had he seen it before it was sent out.

Dr Zammit Dimech said this was hard to believe. All along the ministry had been insisting with Malta Today about how the report was evolving. If Dr Mallia was truly not being informed about what was happening, political responsibility could well be thrown out of a window. Integrity also depended on credibility.

Could not Dr Mallia have expressed his disgust at the incident before the Prime Minister had done so?

Dr Mallia agreed “perfectly” about integrity and credibility. But Dr Zammit Dimech was wrong about the expression of disgust.

He had left a group of inter­national delegates at Police Headquarters only at 11.30am the following morning to address the news conference he had called, during which he had expressed his disgust and corrected the initial statement issued.

He could understand the Opposition wanting him out of the way but, whatever it did, it should do it in a manner that was correct politically. Trying to land mean blows did not score political points.

If he had felt responsible for the incident he would have gone to the Prime Minister under his own steam.

He had entered politics only recently, after having built up his legal career and seen the Nationalist Party destroy the ideals he had fought for.

“I will prove my integrity before the inquiry and investigation,” he said resolutely.

If Dr Zammit Dimech wanted answers to all his questions, he could act as Dr Mallia’s lawyer and hear him out in front of the magistrate and judges carrying out the inquiry into the incident.