The Commissioner of Standards found the allegations brought against the PM Robert Abela by l-Għaqda Studenti tal-Liġi (Law Students Association) to be unfounded and closed the case.

Andrew Sciberras and Andrew Drago, both members and representatives of GħSL, reported Prime Minister Robert Abela to the Commissioner of Standards of Public Life for issuing comments that may have compromised a criminal case in the Law Courts, referring to the way Abela spoke about the murder of Turkish woman Pelin Kaya.

These comments were said on 22 and 23 January 2023 when Abela had spoken about the murder. At the time, court proceedings against the man accused of her murder were still in their initial phase. It was only this week, after Jeremie Camilleri changed his plea to guilty, that he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Asked for his views about the complaint by the Standards Commissioner, the Prime Minister had replied that he could not remain silent after such a tragedy, given also the way that society in general had reacted to it. Abela, in his reply, said that he would not have done his duty if he had not spoken about it in public.

In his decision, the Standards Commissioner said that the Prime Minister had not exceeded  the limits in his comments about the murder, and closed the case.