[WATCH] El Hiblu case is not a political game, Robert Abela says

Prime Minister Robert Abela has disregarded activists' concerns that the three young men known as the El Hiblu 3 are being treated as "political pawns".

In comments to MaltaToday on Sunday, activist and academic, Maria Pisani reacted to the indictment of the El Hiblu 3, saying that the accused are, "political pawns." Meanwhile, the accused's defence had stated that the Attorney General had, "weaponised the law."

On Wednesday, Abela stated that he completely disagrees that the case has turned political, stating that the guilt of the three accused is to be decided by court. "I have faith that the judicial authorities will process this case in the manner that it is meant to be processed," Abela said.

When asked directly whether or not he believes that the charges should be dropped, Abela reiterated that the court will see if there is any truth to the number of charges.

Koni Tiemoko Abdoul Khader, Amara Kromah, and Abdalla Bari were still teenagers in 2019 when they were charged with hijacking the El Hiblu 1, the oil tanker that had rescued them and 108 other people fleeing Libya from the sea.

Prosecutors claim the defendants had coerced the captain into not returning them to Libya, where they feared persecution and torture.

It emerged in court that the trio, who were the only English speakers among the rescued group, had been acting as interpreters between the ship’s captain and the asylum seekers.

But although the overwhelming majority of witnesses in the lengthy compilation of evidence told the court that no violence or threats were made, prosecutors gave more weight to the testimony of the vessel’s captain who had radioed the Maltese authorities to inform them that his vessel had been hijacked by pirates.