Updated at 8.40pm: Adds lawyer's reply to police claims

Jonathan Ferris's lawyer on Friday published the warrant of arrest the police had prepared for his client, minutes after the police claimed that the former FIAU investigator was not threatened with arrest at any time.

Referring to claims in the media that he was threatened with arrest, the police said they called Mr Ferris on Tuesday and asked him to go to the police headquarters accompanied by his lawyer.

When they gave him an appointment, Mr Ferris informed the investigators that his lawyer was abroad.

Watch: Ferris sticks by Egrant testimony after three hours of questioning

He was given the opportunity to get another lawyer or to be given another appointment.

The police said it was Mr Ferris himself who suggested to investigators that if the matter was so urgent, they should issue a "warrant".

The conversation, the police said, took place through five telephone calls, four of which were made by Mr Ferris to the police, and which were all recorded. Mr Ferris, they insisted, was not threatened with arrest at any point.

READ: 'I will not be intimidated by these fascist tactics'

The police noted that according to the Criminal Code, they had the power to request an arrest warrant from a magistrate when there were enough reasons for this according to law, and such power should not be considered a threat when used according to law.

At the police headquarters, Mr Ferris was questioned for three hours about the testimony that he had given to Magistrate Aaron Bugeja as part of the Egrant inquiry.

But lawyers Jason Azzopardi and Khris Busietta said the police statement was malicious, untruthful and misleading.

Dr Azzopardi posted on his Facebook page a photo of the warrant of arrest "requested by the police" and issued by the duty magistrate, which, he said, proved otherwise.

He said that while the police were denying what Mr Ferris said, documented facts proved otherwise and showed their deceit.

"The police had actually requested and got the warrant of arrest 48 hours before Mr Ferris was called for questioning (proving that there was no urgency in the matter).

"The police would do well not to continue issuing false statements to cover up for their hidden agenda," Dr Azzopardi said.