Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis has refused to weigh in on calls for Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg to resign over a plea deal debacle.  

Buttigieg has been under fire since agreeing to drop an attempted murder charge against Darren Debono who was imprisoned for ten years after admitting to complicity in the 2010 HSBC heist, as part of a plea deal arrangement. 

Debono, better known as It-Topo, pointedly refused to name any other accomplices in the heist apart from Vince Muscat il-Koħħu when called to testify on Thursday, saying he feared for his family's safety. 

The would-be robbers were involved in a violent shoot-out with police in 2010 when an attempted heist of HSBC’s main office in Qormi went wrong.

Magistrate Monica Vella ordered Debono’s immediate arrest and investigation on Thursday over his failure to cooperate as a witness. A court is expected to rule on that charge next week.

Justice Minister: my views are irrelevant

Speaking to Times of Malta on Friday, Zammit Lewis said what he thought about the way the plea deal played out is “irrelevant”.

“I believe in the independence and impartiality of the public prosecutor. It was a decision taken purely by the Attorney General. In respecting the rule of law, I must respect her independence and impartiality,” Zammit Lewis said.

He also refused to say whether he thought the Attorney General should offer her resignation.

Zammit Lewis said his duty as justice minister is to ensure adequate resources are offered to the Attorney General’s office.

The justice minister similarly refused to say whether he agreed with the plea-bargain decision.

Rule of law NGO Repubblika is holding a protest outside the Attorney General’s Valletta office on Friday evening.

The NGO has called the plea deal reached with It-Topo a “betrayal of justice.”

Zammit Lewis and Buttigieg are also facing calls for their resignation from the Opposition.

The PN said on Thursday that the "shocking developments" in the courts confirm that Robert Abela's government is a tool for criminals and a threat to people's safety. 

It said that it had warned what would happen in the past weeks and the AG failed to explain her decision which led to the current situation.

The Justice Minister’s failure to publicly state his position on the AG’s actions confirmed that he was an accomplice, together with the Prime Minister, in a web of interests and abuses from which the PL and key politicians within Labour benefitted.

OPM minister Carmelo Abela and former Economy Minister Chris Cardona have both faced claims over their involvement in the heist.

They deny any wrongdoing.