Opposition leader Marc Bean is being sued by Deputy Premier Michael Dunkley over comments made during a Facebook discussion.

The website debate took place on September 30 after Mr Dunkley tabled a motion in the House of Assembly recommending that a joint select committee be formed to examine the implementation of random drug tests for MPs.

One contributor posted a link to a 2007 video made by a former narcotics officer, who had questioned whether Mr Dunkley had played any part in a 2003 drug importation conspiracy involving two of his Dunkley Dairy employees.

Those two men were jailed for ten years in 2005 after being found guilty of attempting to smuggle the drugs into the Island in a Dunkley’s Dairy container.

Other police officers denounced the video’s claims and pointed out that Mr Dunkley had in fact helped narcotics officers carry out a surveillance on the company’s property, was a key prosecution witness in the subsequent trial, and that there had never been any evidence that he was involved.

But during the debate on Facebook’s Bermuda Election 2012 page, Mr Bean made several references to the video, adding that “MPs ... are not angels, far from it”.

He also said it was ironic that Mr Dunkley was pushing for MPs to be drug tested and questioned whether “a leading importer of goods” should also be in charge of national security and border control.

“Dunkley has motivations that only he can explain,” Mr Bean wrote.

“If the motion is about standards, then it should be based on being honourable (being honest). That said, we should have lie detector test as a start. Lord knows we would not have a sitting Parliament.”

Mr Dunkley took out a writ against the Progressive Labour Party leader on Thursday.

Last night he told The Royal Gazette that he considered the remarks “defamatory” and claimed Mr Bean had turned down a request to withdraw the comments.

“I understand that in politics you have to have a thick skin, but in my opinion he definitely crossed the line and that is why I have taken this action,” Mr Dunkley said.