Newly promoted Lt Colonel Pierre Vassallo has filed a judicial protest against Nationalist MPs Beppe Fenech Adami and Jason Azzopardi over comments about him made at a press conference last week.

Col Vassallo noted that it had been claimed that he was previously denied a promotion because he had not been given security clearance by the Security Service following an incident while he was in the police force in 1986.

Dr Azzopardi had said that this resulted from a court case Col Vassallo had instituted.

Col Vassallo said it was not true that such information had resulted from the court case. He had actually instituted the case because he had been denied security clearance, and no explanation was given during the case proceedings.

Col Vassallo said he was therefore calling on the MPs to explain where they got their information from.

He also denied that he did not merit his promotion and it had been awarded only for political reasons.

In fact, it had resulted from the same court case that in October 2002 then AFM commander Rupert Montanaro had recommended his promotion to lieutenant colonel.

Therefore the promotion he was given recently had been recommended in 2002.