The prison director has rebutted claims made by one of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder suspects that he had suffered “inhuman and degrading treatment,” and stated that such allegations were “totally unfounded”.

The director also reserved the right to sue for damages suffered through such defamatory allegations.

The prison director’s reply filed in the First Hall, Civil Court rebutted claims made last week by George Degiorgio in a judicial letter, after an earlier letter, filed in December failed to have the desired effect.

In his second letter, Mr Degiorgio claimed that “no concrete steps” had been taken by the prison authorities to provide him with adequate medical care for the “persistent and unbearable pain in his shoulder”.

However, the prison director described the allegations as “frivolous, vexatious and defamatory,” explaining that last December Mr Degiorgio had actually been accompanied to a private hospital for an MRI.

Later that same month, a consultant orthopaedist from Mater Dei Hospital had visited the patient in prison, administering an injection and prescribing medication for daily administration.

In January, the consultant had recommended physiotherapy which was refused by Mr Degiorgio who insisted instead on seeking a second opinion, saying that “should he want physiotherapy he would personally ask for it”.

The judicial reply made reference to correspondence with the chairman of Mater Dei’s Orthopedic Department who said that once Mr Degiorgio had already been examined by a medical specialist and refused the recommended treatment, it was “final”.

The department had “done more than he possibly could” to accommodate Mr Degiorgio, the prison director said.

Inhuman and degrading treatment is defined by the European Courts as causing ‘intense physical and mental suffering,’ which was certainly not the case in respect of Mr Degiorgio who was asked to desist from any such further allegations.

Lawyer Mario Mifsud signed the reply.