Norman Vella.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat warned Xarabank producers days before the second political leaders’ debate that he would retaliate with twice the force if he felt they were unfair with the Labour Party.

This emerged yesterday during a case filed by former television presenter Norman Vella against Dr Muscat before the Employment Commission. Mr Vella is claiming political discrimination in the way he was redeployed from PBS.

Mr Vella’s lawyer Andrew Borg Cardona asked Peppi Azzopardi whether, during a meeting before the second debate was held, Dr Muscat had said: “For every blow we feel you are striking the Labour Party, I will strike you twice, with all my force, under the belt, where it hurts.”

Mr Vella and Labour Party officials were also at the meeting.

Mr Azzopardi confirmed the quote but clarified that the words “where it hurts” had never been uttered.

He also clarified that the statement was said in the context of Dr Muscat's complaint about imbalance in the programme Bondi+ some time before.

The government’s head of communications, Kurt Farrugia, also confirmed that something in that sense had been said by Dr Muscat, although he could not recall the words that had been used, adding they were “probably exaggerated”.

He said the gist of what was said was that the Labour Party wanted “a level playing field” during such debates because, the first time round, a live phone call from a viewer asking about Labour’s clubs had caught Dr Muscat by surprise.

He said the call was “in sync” with the Nationalist Party’s campaign on Labour clubs. “We just did not want dirty games,” Mr Farrugia said.

“I don’t remember the exact words but it was a political comment to be careful and not to resort to dirty tricks as happened in the first debate. There is and was no animosity with Mr Vella whom I have known for a long number of years and with whom I always have animated exchanges,” he added.

“It was not a personal comment and neither was it a threat. We never threatened anyone or intimidated. We thought these programmes were being used to give the PN a push,” he said, adding that the message had come across because there were no more surprises.

Mr Farrugia said that, although he personally believed Mr Vella was “biased” in the way he asked his questions, neither he nor the party had ever filed complaints against him with the Broadcasting Authority because he believed a journalist had the right to ask the questions he wanted. At the same meeting, Mr Azzopardi said that Dr Muscat was “angry”. He did not take Dr Muscat’s warning as a threat. “We are used to such things but I was not pleased with what was said.”

He said that during one of the programmes he had received a text message from Home Affairs Ministry chief of staff Silvio Scerri saying that Mr Vella was “biased”.

Lawyer Paul Lia is appearing for Dr Muscat. Lawyer Andrew Borg Cardona is representing Mr Vella.

The case continues in May.