Former FIAU official Jonathan Ferris has filed a libel suit against Malta Today managing editor Saviour Balzan over a video blog uploaded last month.
In the blog, Mr Balzan drew comparisons between Mr Ferris' work when he was still with the police and investigating the oil procurement scandal to that of fictional Pink Panther detective Inspector Clouseau.
Mr Balzan also criticised Mr Ferris for boasting of having prosecuted his own cousin, saying he should have been precluded from doing so and that in any case Mr Ferris' cousin was found not guilty.
The libel suit comes just one day after Mr Ferris filed a court application seeking financial compensation for his sacking from the FIAU, which he believes was politically motivated and a form of discriminatory treatment.
Mr Ferris, a former police inspector who was involved in high-profile investigations related to the Panama Papers, was sacked from the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit in June while still during his probationary period.
Mr Ferris' court application was signed by lawyer Joe Zammit Maempel.