Lawyer and Nationalist Party leadership contender Adrian Delia filed a third libel suit against blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia, just hours before the PN administration meets to discuss the controversy. 

In the application, filed before the Magistrates’ Court, reference was made to articles uploaded to Ms Caruana Galizia's blog every day from Friday 25 until this morning. The common thread running throughout all the articles concern allegations regarding Dr Delia’s involvement in the so-called ‘Soho prostitution racket’ and as the holder of a Barclays International bank account in Jersey wherein funds from the said racket were allegedly poured in.

The blogger claimed that “a lawyer… can’t open a bank account for a client in his own name.”

READ: Delia describes Caruana Galizia's claims as "tales"; PN council to meet to discuss controversy

Moreover, in view of Dr Delia’s bid as candidate for the PN leadership post, Ms Caruana Galizia said in one of her articles, that “The Nationalist Party should have done its own due diligence investigations on candidates”.
 
But Dr Delia declared that all allegations contained in the articles were untrue, false and defamatory, and requested the court to declare these statements as being libellous in his regard, intended merely to cast a shadow upon his reputation and credibility.
 
Dr Delia further asked the court to condemn Ms Caruana Galizia to the payment of damages liquidated in his regard.
 
The application was signed by lawyers Arthur Azzopardi.
 
The PN administrative council had received a request from a party councillor to discuss the controversy stoked by Ms Caruana Galizia's blog posts and take any decision deemed appropriate.
 
Dr Delia is one of four contenders up for the post of PN leader, with the first round being held on Saturday.