Sliema deputy mayor Cyrus Engerer claims the police inspector investigating his case assured him the court sitting would be held " behind closed doors" and would be over within five minutes.

Mr Engerer was asked why he had told the officer to speed up the case when the two met at gay pride in Valletta on July 9, just days before he announced his defection to Labour from the Nationalist Party.

Mr Engerer said that during his interrogation in June, Police Inspector James Grech assured him the case was " minor" and that Marvic Camilleri ( the complainant) had withdrawn from the case. ( Police Commissioner John Rizzo on Tuesday denied Mr Camilleri ever told the police he wanted to drop charges.)

"Basically, the inspector said: ' This would be a quick thing, behind closed doors. You just go there and leave and everyone is happy after five minutes'," Mr Engerer said.

"He said it was something small... that I collaborated with them and I'm a public figure, so if there was ever a case – at this stage he was still questioning it – he said he would not send the police to give me the charge sheet at my home in Sliema but that I could pick it up from the police station in Valletta."

"I told him ok, it's better that way," Mr Engerer said. The two met again on July 9 at the gay pride march where Mr Engerer said he asked the police inspector whether any action would be taken on the case.

"He said it would be something quick, so that's why I told him to speed it up. He said that this was a minor thing and because Marvic Camilleri withdrew this would be something very small."

"So I asked him how long it would take ( and) he said it would happen in October and I said: The sooner the better."

Mr Engerer is charged with misusing a computer without authorisation, circulating pornography and vilifying Mr Camilleri.

Together with his lawyer, Nationalist MP Franco Debono, Mr Engerer is harping on the fact that the charge sheet reached The Times before it reached him, claiming this was done illegally.

Asked to confirm or deny Mr Engerer's claims regarding what the investigating officer told him, a spokesman for the police media unit said: " Due to the fact that now there is a government inquiry set to investigate the matter, please note that any comment from this end is not deemed to be appropriate at this stage."