Jean Pelletier, Jean Chretien's former chief of staff, is suing Public Works Minister Stephen Owen for comments he made about him and the sponsorship scandal, Montreal La Presse reports.

Pelletier is furious with the comments Owen made in an interview with The Globe and Mail published June 4 that he says sullied his reputation.

In the interview, Owen suggested that Pelletier and Alfonso Gagliano, the former minister of public works, were directly involved in mismanaging the program.

After learning of the article in June, Pelletier demanded in a statement that Owen retract his comments.

"Minister Owen's allegations that there may have been some participation or intervention on my part in the management of the Sponsorship Program are false, misleading and groundless," Pelletier's statement read.

Owen did not retract his remarks, insisting he stood by what he said.

"The facts speak for themselves," Owen told reporters last month. "If Mr. Pelletier pursues litigation against me or anyone else in this government, we'll answer his concerns in court."

John Ibbitson, the Globe reporter who conducted the interview, told Canada AM that the Owen interview was noteworthy because it marked the first time a member of Paul Martin's government had laid blame for the scandal. But he noted that the minister was merely repeating the opinion of many members of the Commons public accounts committee.

"Minister Owen was simply reflecting the conclusion of at least the opposition members," he said.Pelletier has already filed suit against the federal government and Via Rail over his dismissal last March. Pelletier was fired following comments he made describing Olympic athlete Myriam Bedard as a poor, pitiful girl.

Bedard had contended she was blowing the whistle on incidents she saw at Via pertaining to the sponsorship program, which was cancelled by Martin when he became prime minister earlier this year.

Both Pelletier and Gagliano denied any wrongdoing when they testified before the Commons public accounts committee earlier this year.

Pelletier is among those seeking standing at the judicial inquiry into the sponsorship scandal.