Opposition leader Alfred Sant yesterday filed a civil libel case before the Court of Magistrates against Industry, Investments and IT Minister Austin Gatt, claiming that the minister made defamatory allegations about him.

Dr Sant, through his lawyer Paul Lia, claimed that Dr Gatt’s speech on Sunday during the Nationalist Party’s General Council was libellous and exposed him to public ridicule.

Dr Gatt had said that Dr Sant could be featured in the Discovery Channel show Altered Statesman which discusses politicians who had a drinking problem and took drugs while making decisions.

On Wednesday, the Opposition Leader had filed a similar complaint in writing at the St Julian’s police station and asked the police to commence criminal libel proceedings against the minister.