The Nationalist Party said on Sunday it was dissociating itself from 13th district candidate Ryan Mercieca, who contested the last general election on its behalf and will be vying for the seat vacated on the district following the death of Frederick Azzopardi.

In a statement on Sunday, the party said that following consultation with PN leader Bernard Grech, party general secretary Francis Zammit Dimech requested the party’s ethics commission to investigate media reports about Mercieca, even in view of a recent court judgment in a libel case Mercieca had initiated.

In an incident within the corridors of the law courts in January 2017, Joseph Camilleri, the treasurer of the Gozo NGOs Association, had allegedly been the target of menacing words uttered by Mr Mercieca.

The commission met with urgency on Saturday to consider the case giving Mercieca all the opportunity to make his argument, even, if he so wanted, assisted by a lawyer of his own choice.

The PN said the commission decided that Mercieca failed to give a satisfactory explanation to the serious accusations made against him and so could not consider him a party candidate in the casual election.

Mercieca, the party said, declared he was not willing to abide by the party’s direction and would still be contesting the election.

The party said it was disassociating itself with his candidature and would be embarking on procedures to dismiss him from the party.

It said it would also be taking all the necessary ulterior measures because it believed the highest ethical standards and correct behaviour in public life should apply to all.