Jeanette Aquilina, the wife of former Repubblika president Robert Aquilina, has spoken out publicly against what she described as damaging leaks and media manipulation surrounding a recent domestic dispute at their family home.

In a statement on Thursday, Aquilina firmly denied media reports suggesting that the argument involved violence or that she had asked the court for forgiveness on behalf of her husband, as claimed by Labour Party media outlet ONE News.

She clarified that the incident, which occurred late last month, involved a verbal argument that escalated in volume, prompting police officers stationed outside their home for security reasons to intervene. “At no point did either of us resort to violence,” she said.

Aquilina lamented the media spectacle that followed, describing it as a humiliating experience for her family. “My husband and I are deeply sorry that, in the hours and days following this dispute, our marriage was publicly ridiculed by people whose aim is certainly not to protect the interests of the family we have built together over the past 20 years,” she wrote.

She directed harsh criticism at the Police Corps, accusing it of allowing information to leak, and condemned what she called “invented and exaggerated stories” that were “greatly damaging to us and our three minor children”.

Reaffirming her commitment to her family, Aquilina said that both she and her husband wanted to move on from the episode in a manner that prioritised their wellbeing and that of their children.

She also accused unnamed individuals of misusing her statements to the police to “persecute and assassinate” Robert Aquilina’s character. Contrary to what has been reported, she emphasised that her request to the court on 10 June to halt proceedings was not an act of forgiveness. “That request did not amount to forgiveness,” she stated clearly.

“The issues between us are familial, not criminal,” she added, attributing the tension to the “intense stress” caused by Robert’s public life.

“I do not want to be and will not be a participant in any persecution against my husband Robert,” she concluded.