Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia yesterday categorically denied that he was directly involved in the oil procurement scandal.

Dr Mallia insisted in court that the allegation, posted on the Nationalist Party website during the election, was malicious.

He and David Farrugia Sacco, both lawyers, had filed criminal libel proceedings against outgoing PN general secretary Paul Borg Olivier during the electoral campaign, when they were Labour Party candidates.

Dr Mallia testified that he considered the three articles that appeared on the website to be the worst form of journalism because the allegations linking him with the scandal were all lies.

He said the allegations were meant to cause damage to him because they were made at a time when he was an electoral candidate. He specified that he had never been interrogated by the police in connection with the scandal.

Dr Mallia told Magistrate Edwina Grima that he had appealed to Dr Borg Olivier to retract the allegations but, once he had refused and more comments were added, he felt he should ­­­take action.

Dr Farrugia Sacco testified too, echoing Dr Mallia’s sentiments.

Nathaniel Attard, the PN’s head of news, said that while he was in charge of what appeared on the party’s media he did not oversee the website. In fact, it did not have a registered editor.

The case continues.