Minister Konrad Mizzi and his wife Sai Liang Mizzi are expected to testify in ongoing libel proceedings against assassinated journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

In a blog post uploaded in November 2014, Ms Caruana Galizia had alleged that Dr Mizzi was having an extramarital affair with his communications aide Lindsey Gambin, claiming that this was the reason why "his wife left for China".

The Mizzi couple and Ms Gambin had subsequently filed two separate libel suits against Ms Caruana Galizia that same year, claiming that the story was unfounded and untrue, intended solely to tarnish their reputation.

As proceedings continued this morning, the court suggested that since Ms Mizzi’s cross-examination was still to take place and in view of the fact that she lived abroad, her testimony could take place via video conferencing.

For this reason, magistrate Francesco Depasquale put off the case to a later date when Minister Mizzi is expected to answer questions in open court while his wife might be cross-examined via Skype.

In a sitting in November 2015, Ms Caruana Galizia had testified how it had been a "very high-ranking police officer", subsequently retired, who had allegedly tipped her off about having spotted the then-Energy Minister in an intimate embrace with Ms Gambin.

He had told her that he had seen them one night at the bar of the Tiffany Champagne and Cigar Room at Portomaso, drinking champagne. The two had allegedly been sitting next to each other, their body language indicating that there was more between them than just a professional relationship.

Lawyer Aaron Mifsud Bonnici and Abigail Critien are representing Dr Mizzi and his wife. Lawyer Joseph Zammit Maempel is counsel to the Caruana Galizia family.