Konrad Mizzi’s lawyer in libel proceedings against Daphne Caruana Galizia’s heirs informed the court on Monday that the parties were “exploring” the possibility of an out-of-court settlement.

Earlier this month the court had asked whether there was any chance of the parties reaching a compromise.

Lawyer Edward Gatt, taking up the brief after Mizzi’s previous legal team renounced theirs, had informed presiding magistrate Victor George Axiak at the previous hearing that he would consult his client on the way forward.

When the case resumed on Monday, Mizzi’s lawyer, in the presence of Peter Caruana Galizia representing the heirs, requested some more time for the parties “to explore the possibility of a compromise.”

The court upheld the request and deferred the case to January.

The proceedings, dating back to 2014, were sparked by allegations by Caruana Galizia that Mizzi was having an affair with his communications coordinator, Lindsey Gambin.

Both Mizzi and his wife Sai, as well as Gambin, filed separate libel suits against Caruana Galizia.

At the previous hearing, the family of the assassinated journalist claimed that data from the mobile phone of Yorgen Fenech, currently charged with complicity in the murder, included reference to Gambin as “lover of Konrad Mizzi”.

The case continues.

Lawyer Joseph Zammit Maempel is assisting the Caruana Galizia family.