I refer to Lino Spiteri’s article National Bank Of Malta Saga in The Times’ Business (April 26).

Mr Spiteri is correct in saying that surviving shareholders are irked by the fact that 38 years after the event the court cases have not yet been concluded. However, his declaration that the only “individuals who went to plead with shareholders to hand over their shares to the government were members of the bank employees’ union, hugely concerned about their job” is incorrect.

“Bully boy” tactics also took the form of psychological bullying. The “bully boys” who “banged on my door” took the form of policemen who woke up my whole family in the dead of night with the heavy-handed ringing of our doorbell.

They said they wanted to search the house but after telling my late husband and I to ensure that we signed over our personal and family company shares in the National Bank Group as demanded by Dom Mintoff, they left without a search. The threatening words “or else” were left unspoken, but we got the mes

sage! I also recall that during those terrible days which left a scar on Malta’s banking history, our telephone calls were being monitored. Yes, we definitely felt threatened by Mr Mintoff’s direct and veiled threats. Who in their right mind would have signed over their shares without compensation unless they felt threatened by moral violence and possibly also physical violence?