Opposition leader Bernard Grech insisted on Thursday that Carmelo Abela should be suspended from the Cabinet pending investigations into alleged links to the failed 2010 HSBC heist.

Reacting to Prime Minister Robert Abela’s claims that there was a coordinated strategy between members of the PN and criminals to target Carmelo Abela, Grech said that he viewed the prime minister’s statement with regret.

“It is very damaging to have a minister within the office of the prime minister who is facing such allegations. It would be better if Carmelo Abela was suspended until the end of the investigation,” Grech said.

The leader of the opposition accused the prime minister of "failing to understand the gravity of the situation” or the responsibility his position and words should carry”.

“The prime minister is undervaluing the fact that whatever he says might also influence the ongoing investigation,”  Grech argued.

“If the prime minister truly believes that our country’s reputation can slowly recover, he must sever his ties with (Carmelo) Abela and take the necessary action to show that our country is serious,” he added.

The leader of the opposition referred to “the prime minister’s dilemma” of having to suspend “someone close to you who was accused of something like this”, arguing that in spite of the difficulty of the choice, one “must always choose the country first”.

On Wednesday, Carmelo Abela had confirmed that he had been called in by the police for questioning.

The prime minister said on Thursday that he would not have any issues with taking action against Carmelo Abela should credible evidence emerge.

However, he also expressed his bewilderment at how the Degiorgio brothers, who named Abela as the bank insider turned accomplice during the 2010 heist, are being given credibility for the accusations leveled at Abela.

Abela himself has repeatedly denied the claims, suing opposition MP Jason Azzopardi for libel following Azzopardi’s naming of Abela as the accomplice.