Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela has filed a criminal complaint asking the police to investigate two people for comments they posted on Facebook suggesting that he took money off a deal to purchase an MRI scanner for the Gozo Hospital.

In his complaint, which he made public on social media, Abela flagged a comment posted by a Facebook user beneath a Lovin Malta article about the scanner.

The user asked 'How much did you make in commissions Mr Minister???'. A second Facebook user replied to that with the comment 'mmmmm countless'.

Abela said the two comments were slanderous, calling upon the police to investigate them.

"It is intolerable for people to damage someone's reputation and then hide," the minister said.

Abela's lawyers have asked the police to identify the people behind those two Facebook profiles and "prosecute them for defamation and misuse of telecommunications equipment."