Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister must present evidence which disproves allegations made by PN MP Jason Azzopardi concerning the 2010 failed HSBC heist himself, a court ruled on Wednesday.

The ruling came in the second hearing on a libel case which Abela filed against Azzopardi when the latter claimed that Abela had allegedly aided the would-be bank thieves in 2010 in exchange for a €300,000 payment.

Abela has consistently denied the accusations, which have also been made by suspects in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case.

On Wednesday, the minister’s lawyer Pawlu Lia sought to shift the burden of proof in the libel case onto Azzopardi, noting that since it was the PN MP who had made the accusations, it was up to him to prove them.

Lia said that Azzopardi had, in making his accusations, claimed to state an alleged fact rather than an opinion – saying that the PN MP should either admit that he was wrong or else prove his assertions.

Azzopardi’s lawyer Joseph Zammit Maempel however argued that it was the court, not the applicant, who had to decide the way forward.

The court rejected Abela’s request, stating that it was the Minister who had filed the libel suit and, therefore, it was he who had to bring forward evidence to prove that the allegation was unfounded.

The court would then decide depending on the evidence, Magistrate Rachel Montebello said.

The case continues next month.

In a post on Facebook, Abela said that once again Azzopatrdi had not attended the sitting.

"I would have expected Jason Azzopardi to bring evidence to prove what he said. Instead, he is defending himself saying it was his opinion and a fair comment."

It is obvious, Abela wrote, that what Azzopardi said is not an opinion but an allegation of serious happenings which he has to prove. By saying that it was just an opinion is an attempt to ridicule the court and the public, Abela said.