Former Labour minister Carmelo Abela told a court he “did not know” that the Degiorgio brothers had named him in a letter they wrote to the European Commissioner for Justice claiming they had information implicating him and a previous minister in past crimes. 

“I don’t know that they mentioned me, but I know that there was a letter to [Justice Commissioner] Reynders,” said Abela when cross-examined. 

Abela was testifying in libel proceedings instituted against Jason Azzopardi over a Facebook post in April last year, in which the former PN MP claimed that Abela had aided the mastermind behind a botched armed robbery at the HSBC headquarters in 2010. 

Azzopardi further claimed that Abela had received a €300,000 payment for his role in the planned heist. 

Abela categorically denied those allegations as “lies” and promptly sued Azzopardi for libel. 

The Degiorgio brothers, Alfred and George, were last month handed a 40-year jail term after admitting to their role as hitmen in the 2017 car bomb murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. 

“It was in the newspapers,” Azzopardi’s lawyer, Joseph Zammit Maempel, pointed out in reference to the brothers’ letter to the commissioner. 

“The newspapers are constantly bandying about my name without good cause,” Abela retorted. 

“Don’t believe all that’s written in the papers,” intervened Abela’s lawyer, Pawlu Lia. 

“Did you read the Times?” asked Azzopardi’s lawyer.

“I tried to read everything concerning me.”

“Did you take necessary steps?” went on Azzopardi’s lawyer.

“I took steps by filing a libel suit over what Jason Azzopardi said about me…all lies,” said Abela. 

“But did you take any steps against the Degiorgios?”

“I took steps against Azzopardi. The Degiorgios did not write about me,” insisted Abela. 

“Of course they did!” came the reply.

“And didn’t you even bother to check with the European Commissioner?” the defendant’s lawyer asked. 

“I don’t need to communicate with the Commissioner,” Abela said, insisting that he had taken steps against Azzopardi. 

As both Azzopardi and his lawyer sought to explain that others had named the minister before Azzopardi himself did, Abela pointed out that he [Azzopardi] had got his dates wrong. 

Zammit Maempel said that he would produce the relevant document and put further questions to Abela at the next sitting. 

Magistrate Rachel Montebello presided.