Malta Shipyards Ltd yesterday filed a judicial protest against Joseph Cala, a businessman who wants to place an order for ships, claiming that he made false and defamatory allegations against the company.

In the protest, Malta Shipyards said that Mr Cala made various statements in the media that contained unfounded and defamatory allegations.

Malta Shipyards said that the statements made by Mr Cala were about the possibility of the company building a number of ships for a business project, adding that his actions could have been tantamount to breach of agreement between the two parties.

The complainants said that in such agreements, before any commitment is made, a feasibility study needs to be carried out to address both the financial potential of the buyer and to see whether the seller can meet demands.

In this regard, Mr Cala has not moved on the issue of commissioning technical studies, the judicial protest said. The complainants said Mr Cala’s suggestion of blowing up the entry to the drydock so the huge vessels can get in and out is not a serious feasibility study.

Malta Shipyards also said that it had to be prudent to ensure that no one was using its services for a hidden agenda, for example to inflate a project in order to boost share prices.

Malta Shipyards said that instead of carrying out negotiations in a professional and tranquil manner, Mr Cala resorted to insults and twisting of facts, which resulted in more suspicion about his intentions, the company said.

The company reserved the right to take further action over defamation and appealed for him to stop such behaviour. Dr Andrew Borg Cardona signed the writ.