Allied Newspapers managing director Adrian Hillman has issued a short declaration this evening denying allegations made about him and insisting he never influenced editorial decisions taken by Times of Malta editors.

The statement is as follows:

“As a private person I am unused to the unwarranted attention I have been subjected to over the past few days. I have refrained for entering the public debate with a view to safeguarding the integrity of the institution I work for. However I now feel its (sic) a must that I set the record straight. While it is now clear that at no point have I influenced the editors of Times of Malta, as I have already declared with the Board of Directors, I deny all other allegations made in my regard and am hopeful that the truth will prevail.”

Mr Hillman is on indefinite leave after allegations that he receive secret payments from Keith Schembri, the chief of staff at the Office of the Prime Minister, through the latter’s company Kasco.

The company has launched an independent inquiry after blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia broke the story late last week.

Yesterday, following Mr Hillman's declaration, Mrs Caruana Galizia wrote on her blog that "there is documented proof of the existence of Adrian Hillman’s secret company in an offshore jurisdiction. Today I can reveal that it is in the British Virgin Islands, alongside Keith Schembri’s, and that it was set up for him in 2011 by the now incredibly famous Brian Tonna of Nexia BT."