Prime Minister Robert Abela said that the Cabinet will be discussing whether three students and a lecturer accused of ethical hacking should be granted a presidential pardon.

The four were charged this week with hacking Malta's largest student app, FreeHour, more than two years after they reported security vulnerabilities to the company.

The students being charged are Michael Debono, 22, Giorgio Grigolo, 21, and Luke Bjorn Scerri, 23 . They are all being accused of gaining unauthorised access to the app.

Speaking to TVM, Abela said he will bring up the proposal for a presidential pardon at Cabinet level.

He said the matter should not only be taken from a legal aspect but also in terms of justice. He said the State should take responsibility for its shortcomings in the updating of laws related to technology.

Abela said he believed the case should not remain before the Courts. The four are facing charges which the Prime Minister said were unjust. He said he believed that the Cabinet should use its prerogative to bring the case to an end.

On Thursday, the Nationalist Party said the charges should be dropped.