Jason Azzopardi guilty of libel over HSBC heist claims about Carmelo Abela
A judge has ordered lawyer Jason Azzopardi to pay €7,000 in libel damages over his Facebook statement about former minister Carmelo Abela, in which Azzopardi had linked Abela to the 2010 HSBC heist.Azzopardi made the allegation in a Facebook sta
A judge has ordered lawyer Jason Azzopardi to pay €7,000 in libel damages over his Facebook statement about former minister Carmelo Abela, in which Azzopardi had linked Abela to the 2010 HSBC heist.
Azzopardi made the allegation in a Facebook status he posted, which was a reaction to disparaging comments made by Abela on Azzopardi over an ethics investigation concerning the minister.
"I am no saint... but better not to have been an accomplice in the HSBC hold-up," Azzopardi said.
Azzopardi claimed that Abela was promised €300,000 from the loot, accusing Abela of having been an accomplice of the HSBC heist's mastermind by passing on internal footage of the HSBC headquarters and assisting them in accessing the building. Abela denied the claims.
Abela had repeatedly denied the allegations which were first mooted by Vincent Muscat "Il-Koħħu", who had claimed that a sitting minister had been an accomplice in the hold up. He also claimed that Carmelo Abela and Chris Cardona had "given instructions in order for the heist at HSBC's Head Office to go ahead."
Shortly after, Abela had filed the defamation lawsuit, demanding that Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi answer for his claims.
Azzopardi is believed to be filing an appeal on the verdict.
Lawyer Pawlu Lia assisted Abela, while Azzopardi was represented by Lawyer Zammit Maempel. The case was presided over by Judge Rachel Montebello.
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