Land speculator Mark Gaffarena has filed libel proceedings against columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia after she insinuated he was trafficking drugs.

Mr Gafferena, who was at the centre of controversy after selling part of a Valletta house to the government in return for cash and land, felt libelled by the insinuation that he dealt in drugs with Antoine Azzopardi, who runs the illegal restaurant Cavett’s Place.

The restaurant is situated on land that belongs to Mr Gaffarena. In court he confirmed that the nine tumuli of land belonged to him, as did the actual structure of the entertainment venue.

Mr Gaffarena said he rented out the place to Mr Azzopardi and did not request any payment for it. However, he insisted he was not involved in running the place.

In an article uploaded in June, Ms Caruana Galizia wrote that Mr Azzopardi had been a school minibus driver who was charged with dealing in cocaine and cannabis in 2008.

He had denied the charges but was remanded in custody and had his assets frozen.

She termed Mr Azzopardi a “sleaze” and a “drug dealer”, proceeding to write that he was probably also dealing drugs out of Cavett’s Place in Ħandaq “in partnership with Marco Gaffarena or behind his back in his property”.

Mr Gaffarena denied carrying out such affairs, saying that he never had any reason to do so and complained that Ms Caruana Galizia had been hectoring and insulting him for the past six months.

Magistrate Francesco Depas-quale presided over the case, which continues on January 28.