Prime Minister Robert Abela has said that the proverbial line “has completely been crossed” as he reacted to news that former PN MP Jason Azzopardi had filed a request for Clint Camilleri and his wife Deborah Camilleri to be investigated by a magistrate.

“The Nationalist Party’s extremist faction, through Jason Azzopardi, wants to send the mother of two small children to prison, just because she happens to be the wife of a minister,” Abela said.

Earlier on Sunday, Azzopardi alleged that Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri and his wife, who is a lawyer and is the Head of Transport for Gozo at Transport Malta, were embroiled in a racket concerning mooring spots at the Mgarr harbour, and that the minister’s wife was also working in her private practice as a lawyer when she was meant to be at Transport Malta.

Azzopardi said that he had filed a request for a magisterial inquiry, alleging that there was criminal organization, trading in influence, false declarations, fraud and forgery, money laundering and bribery of public officials.   The minister’s wife should also be investigated for embezzlement and misappropriation, Azzopardi said.

But the Prime Minister slammed Azzopardi, who is a former PN MP having failed to be re-elected in 2022, saying that he is lying.

“He gives a false testimony that she did private work during working hours with a government authority: as the liar that he is, he did not say that when she did this work it was either outside of working hours, or after she look leave from her statutory leave, and that it was authorised by her superior,” Abela said.

“From 2013 onwards, the Labour Party reasoned that these types of cruel and baseless attacks should be left alone and it should not stand up to them. A mistake.  The line has completely been crossed and I am not going to permit any Nationalist Party and those that conspire with it to abuse of magisterial inquiries and put people through the ordeal of judicial processes for nothing,” Abela said.

He said that because he leads by what is right, he had never feared and will never fear “the forces of darkness” and said that if these forces think that they can “break” a minister “they will have to pass through me first, and we already know who is going to win and who is going to lose from that battle.”

Abela said that he had asked the Justice Minister to finalise the reforms to magisterial inquiries immediately so that “this abuse can be cut out once and for all.”

In his own, very brief statement, Camilleri categorically denied the insinuations made by Azzopardi – which were also published by the Nationalist Party in its newspaper.

In similar vein, the Labour Party issued a statement to say that Bernard Grech has rendered himself totally irrelevant and is able only to ride upon the attacks of Jason Azzopardi and Repubblica.

Karol Aquilina and Jason Azzopardi have now found something that unites them: their senseless hatred against those who work in the interest of our country.

The Opposition should not take the side of these villainous attacks based on lies but should join the Government so that these things shall no longer be permitted.

Once again the Nationalist Party, is not only supporting but participating in the politics of hatred based on abuses of legal procedures at the expense of causing untold harm and suffering to those who do not agree with them.

The Labour Party said it shall continue to fight these attacks and strengthen its policy in favour of people and unity.