Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela said that he expects PN MP Jason Azzopardi to resign 'pushing fabricated lies'.
In a Facebook post, the Minister said that he was again asked about "the lie being made about me," in reference to allegations of his alleged involvement in a failed HSBC heist in 2010.
PN MP Jason Azzopardi had claimed that Minister Carmelo Abela was promised €300,000 in exchange for helping the would-be robbers in the 2010 HSBC heist. Abela has denied the allegations and filed a libel case against the MP. The Times of Malta reported that Abela was one of a small group of people within the bank who had access to security equipment that generates key cards suspected to have been used by the robbers. It also reported that Judge Giovanni Grixti decided to notify Abela about the request made by the police to gain access to testimony he had given during the compilation of evidence against two men who stand charged over the heist. He had testified behind closed doors. It reports that the police made clear that a fresh investigation was opened due to the allegations against Abela.
Posting on Facebook, Abela said: "In the past weeks, not only have I strongly denied these false allegations which I believe are the result of a conspiracy between PN Member of Parliament Jason Azzopardi and criminals who want to get away with murder, but I have also instituted libel proceedings. I believe that the police are obliged to investigate allegations, which are being made over 10 years after the mentioned case, at a moment when criminals started lobbying for a presidential pardon. However, I also expect the politician making these allegations to assume responsibility and resign, evident that he has been pushing fabricated lies."
"It stands to reason that I welcome any type of investigation into the allegations made by Azzopardi and his criminal friends. Therefore, as you rightly pointed out in reference to my reply to the police's request, I have absolutely no difficulty with the police's access to my deposition."