Cabinet secretary sues Jason Azzopardi over Identity Malta bribery allegations

Cabinet secretary Ryan Spagnol has opened libel proceedings against former PN MP Jason Azzopardi, who has accused Spagnol of soliciting bribes to issue residence permits and ID cards to foreigners.

In a statement, Spagnol said he asked his lawyer Chris Cilia to initiate these proceedings in court as soon as possible.

“In light of the serious allegations being made and the position Spagnol occupies, the court is also being asked to hear and decide this case with urgency,” the statement reads.

Over the past couple of days, Azzopardi has taken to Facebook with allegations that Spagnol, while working at Identity Malta, now Identità, was part of a racket that asked for bribes to issue thousands of residence permits and ID cards.

Azzopardi is basing his allegations on the statement of an Egyptian individual who was charged in court recently over falsification of documents. He was sented to six months in prison.

This man implicated Spagnol and a wider group of people with knowing about and facilitating this racket at Identity Malta.

Spagnol said the allegations are false and slanderous.

Jason Azzopardi reacts

Reacting to news that Spagnol has filed a libel against him, Azzopardi said that if he were “pure”, the Cabinet secretary would have granted foreigners connected to the ID card racket whistle blower status.

“Let me tell you. Grapefruit [tronga]. You would have filed a report for slander if you were clean and pure. You would have granted whistleblower status to every foreigner who mentioned you in connection with the illegal issuance of ID cards,” he said. “You don’t know the information I am receiving.”