Prime Minister Joseph Muscat this morning again defended Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia, saying that the initial information issued by the Department of Information on the shooting incident in which the minister's driver was involved was not a cover-up but a mistake that was corrected.

Speaking to journalists after addressing a press conference on the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting to be held in Malta in November next year, Dr Muscat said that Minister Mallia corrected the version of the facts at the first opportunity.

The Prime Minister said that such an incident should not be tolerated in a democratic society such as ours. "After the case was revealed, there was a decision for the Department of Information to release the details as quickly as possible and phone calls with the independent media were made. This was information we received on site, we had not verified it (and we issued the statement) in order for people not to claim anything was being kept hidden. One of these details proved to be wrong and this was later corrected by Minister Mallia himself".

On Wednesday, the DOI said that warning shots had been fired after a car chase when it later emerged that the shots had been fired at a car driven by a Briton who had crashed in the minister's parked car and continued driving. The police officer detailed as a driver with the minister was suspended from duties yesterday.

Asked by The Malta Independent if he had spoken to British High Commissioner Rob Luke after the incident and whether the Briton is still arrested, Dr Muscat simply answered that the government would not go into police investigations on the matter.

Minister Mallia was not to blame for what happened, but if it was found that there was some kind of involvement on his part - the Prime Minister was not specific on this - he (Mallia) would have to shoulder political responsibility.

The Prime Minister also bought up the issue of the Ombudsman, saying that "I do not believe there is a scandal where a debate took place between a Minister and the Ombudsman. In the past ex-Prime Minister Fenech Adami did not listen to the Ombudsman". He was referring to the difference in opnion between the ombudsman and the minister, which has led to court action being taken by both sides.