Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi is out on police bail after being questioned over links to suspected fuel smugglers and money laundering allegations, MaltaToday reported on Wednesday.

Azzopardi was one of ten people arrested on Monday in a major anti-smuggling operation.  Two men were arraigned in court in the early hours of Tuesday in connection with the operation.  The court has since issued a ban on the names and charges of the duo arraigned.

Azzopardi, a prominent criminal lawyer, also represented one of the two in the past.  He spent the night in police custody and was interrogated under caution in connection with allegations of money laundering.

“I was not trying to hide anything because there was nothing to hide,” he told MaltaToday, adding that he cooperated fully with the police.

“I actually welcome the police's questions and have given them all the KYC (know your client) information and relevant paperwork that I had in connection with my clients,” Azzopardi said.