Cabinet secretary found guilty of recent drunk driving incident

Cabinet secretary Ryan Spagnol has been found guilty of driving while drunk in December 2023.

Earlier this year, the court heard that Spagnol was stopped by police officers in a road block in Triq tal-Barrani outside of Żejtun at around 1:45am. Spagnol was subjected to a breathalyser test after a police officer noted redness in his eyes.

In court, a police officer testified that Spagnol’s alcohol level was almost double that of the legal limit. 

In its sentence, delivered on 24 May, the court found Spagnol guilty of three charges, and was sentenced to a six-month driving licence suspension. He was also ordered to pay a €1,800 fine. 

In a Facebook post on Friday, lawyer and former PN MP, Jason Azzopardi, alleged that Prime Minister Robert Abela had ordered the sentence not to be uploaded online on the day it was delivered as is usually the case. Instead, Azzopardi claimed Abela ordered the sentence to be published on the eve of the Santa Marija feast.

Azzopardi, who published the sentence on Facebook, has called for the resignation of a number of people tied to this case. Firstly, he called for the court’s director general to resign, stating that the sentence was “hidden” on her watch.

He further stated that the justice minister should also resign for his complicity with the court’s director general. 

Azzopardi called for Ryan Spagnol’s resignation, as well as that of the Prime Minister, as he accused the pair of covering up the crime and sentence which was delivered during the previous electoral campaign.

Last July, Spagnol had sued Azzopardi for libel after the latter accused the former of soliciting bribes to issue residence permits and ID cards to foreigners.

Spagnol denies trying to hide sentence

Speaking to MaltaToday, Spagnol denied Azzopardi's claims that he influenced anyone to try to hide the sentence. 

While acknowledging that he made the wrong decision to drive after drinking, Spagnol stated that the level of alcohol found by the breathalyser test is the equivalent of two pints of beer.

He did not say whether he plans to hold his position. Spagnol further stated that the sentence has been appealed.

PN: Ryan Spagnol should resign

After news of the conviction came out, the Nationalist Party said it is scandolous for Spagnol to retain his position in cabinet after he has been found guilty of drunk driving. 

The party also said it was scandalous for Spagnol to have been left in his position despite facing the accusations in the first place.

"Our country needs serious, mature and responsible public officials, not people who drive drunk in the middle of the night. Ryan Spagnol should resign immediately as cabinet secretary and if he doesn't do so, the Prime Minister should remove him from the post without further delay," the party said, in a statement signed by shadow minister Karol Aquilina.