Your readers have been left wondering why HSBC has not availed itself of its right of reply to my damning letter published in your edition of 24 March, which was undoubtedly read by HSBC's directors, senior management and lawyers, considering that it was also carried concurrently by Il- Mument, Malta Today On Sunday, Sunday Times of Malta and It-Torca's issue of 31 March issue.
This shortcoming becomes even more significant when seen in the light of HSBC's similar failing to respond publicly to no less than 12 letters that were also published in the local press some 12 months ago, accusing it of - amongst other things - failing to accept responsibility for the injury in question.
Surely an institution that spares no expense in endeavouring to promote the public's trust should have grabbed this opportunity to openly respond - if its conduct in this case was beyond reproach - and yet HSBC has remained silent; thereby tacitly confirming the veracity of my claims that the bank was untruthful in not just one, but unbelievably, three aspects laid down in its official reply to mine, transmitted through the Law Courts.
I reiterate that HSBC is not being honest in maintaining that the crushed wrist injury that its deposit machine caused me was a result of the simultaneous use of its ATM and deposit machine, or the misuse of the latter, and this is borne out by the CCTV footage that the bank holds, a copy of which it still conveniently refuses to provide me with. Moreover, HSBC falsely stated that I had not passed on copies of relative medical certificates relating to this serious injury (unscrupulously described as a mere "abrasion" by the bank) and has repeatedly refused to officially retract these glaringly fallacious statements.
From where I stand, HSBC's talk about "Banking being a business built on trust" is worthless, as its attempts to cover up the truth and its inability to publicly and effectively rebut the weighty accusations of breach of trust that I have been levelling against it, says it all.
As already stated in my previous contribution: "Trust can only be gained through honesty".
HSBC's administration should be ashamed of itself.
Jean-Pierre Azzopardi
Swieqi