Prime Minister Robert Abela and Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri have both denied allegations made against them in a court application filed by lawyer Jason Azzopardi.

Azzopardi asked for an urgent magisterial inquiry into an alleged multimillion euro racket involving top LESA officials which fraudulently transferred penalty points incurred by Maltese drivers onto tourist rental cars. In the application, Azzopardi said that he has a number of witnesses willing to testify in the inquiry about the fact that many car rental companies are well aware of this racket which, he says, is widely used by Labour Party delegates. "The person making this denunciation knows that Prime Minister Robert Abela and Minister Byron Camilleri also have visibility over this racket and granted it tacit impunity to continue and entrench itself," he said.

The Office of the Prime Minister issued a statement denying the allegations made against Robert Abela.

"Prime Minister Robert Abela categorically and absolutely denies what has been reported as being contained in the court application, in other words that the Prime Minister was aware of these alleged irregularities and did nothing to stop them."

This is a lie and a false declaration made by the one who filed the application, constituting a clear abuse of the safeguards provided by a judicial document, the statement by the Prime Minister's office read. "Furthermore, Prime Minister Robert Abela said that those who file malicious judicial acts containing false allegations with the sole aim that some mud slung might stick, and using the secrecy of an inquiry so that whoever it may be would not have the opportunity to reply publicly, are cowardly."

 "Prime Minister Robert Abela is associated with significant reforms that have taken place in the area of good governance and the strengthening of institutions, for them to have more power to prevent and act against those who commit irregularities. On the contrary, the person who filed the application remains associated with episodes that have been harshly criticized, among others, by the Auditor General, and which have nothing to do with good governance."

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri, meanwhile, posted his reaction on Facebook. "The desperate and coordinated attack against me continued today with baseless and unfounded allegations. With the aim to try and tarnish me or attack my integrity. Those who know me know how I have always acted and that is why I look forward to the allegations being investigated," the minister said.