Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541244
4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 12 NOVEMBER 2025 charged with involuntarily damag- tained. has taken place and CCTV footage NEWS Bonett seeks bipartisan approach on metro CHRIS Bonett has called for a bipartisan approach to the de- velopment of a mass transport system, which he said would change mobility for generations to come. The transport minister, who was speaking on his ministry's budget estimates in parliament on Tuesday, said too much time was lost on "puerile arguments". "This would be the biggest in- frastructural project since inde- pendence… let us sit down and work together and not waste any more time on who missed a deadline, or who got the first idea; this project should have started 25 years ago," Bonett said. He said his ministry was work- ing with international consul- tancy firm Arup on a metro solution that would cost less than €3 billion. The major dif- ference from the plans govern- ment had unveiled in 2021 for an underground mass transport system, which came at a cost of €6 billion, is that the new pro- posal will be both underground and aboveground. Bonett said the plans were entering "an important new stage" with several studies on commercial feasibility and ge- ological studies. However, the minister did not divulge when the plans would be finalised and published. Bonett did say that the con- struction of a mass transport system required changes to cer- tain laws and planning policies. "There is a lot of preparatory work that needs to be done be- fore we start digging," he said, adding consultation will have to take place with experts and communities. Bonett extended his hand to the Opposition, insisting it would be wrong to turn such a project that would traverse sev- eral legislatures to be complet- ed, into a political football. "I extend my hand to the Op- position… let us not be Nation- alists and Labourites on this, let us be Maltese," Bonett said. His call echoes that of Oppo- sition leader Alex Borg, who re- cently called on the government to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Opposi- tion over a mass transport sys- tem to ensure continuity over time. Finance Minister Clyde Caru- ana has insisted that a metro would be an expensive project that could bankrupt the country unless politicians from either side agree on measures that pe- nalise car use. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Bonett said government would not be waiting for a metro to address traffic issues. He said the government is investing in sea transport as an alternative method of commuting between coastal towns. Next year, he said, a ferry link would be established between Sliema and Buġibba. He added that another connection would be added in due course between Marsaskala and Valletta and Buġibba. KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Transport Minister Chris Bonett Jason Azzopardi claims OPM official asked him to withdraw magisterial inquiries or face consequences FORMER Nationalist MP and lawyer Jason Azzopardi claimed he was warned by an Office of the Prime Minister official to withdraw a number of applica- tions for a magisterial inquiry, allegedly on the instructions of Prime Minister Robert Abela. Testifying under oath, Azzo- pardi said this was the first time he was publicly disclosing the incident. He told the court that during the first week of January 2025, he received a phone call, he could not recall whether via Signal or WhatsApp, from a childhood friend who works at the OPM. The call, he said, was not made over a regular line. During cross-examination, Az- zopardi confirmed that he had not filed a police report over what he perceived as a threat, explaining that he did not wish to reveal the identity of his inter- mediary. Asked whether there had been any way to report the incident without disclosing the source, he replied in the nega- tive, stating that criminal pro- ceedings could not proceed without corroborating evidence. The lawyer was testifying in proceedings over a judicial pro- test filed by NGO Repubblika claiming government's magis- terial inquiry reform breaches Malta's constitution, European Union law and citizens' rights. According to Azzopardi, the in- dividual told him he had a mes- sage to deliver on behalf of the Prime Minister. The two agreed to meet in person at around 10 pm outside the Capuchin church in Għajn Dwieli. During that meeting, Azzopar- di said, the man told him that Abela wanted him to withdraw five pending constitutional ap- plications he had filed in Decem- ber which mentioned a number government ministers includ- ing Silvio Schembri and Clint Camilleri. Azzopardi testified that the messenger added that, should he refuse, "the developers would sue him for damages." In response, Azzopardi said he told the messenger to relay his "exact words" back to the Prime Minister, adding that "he would not be intimidated." The former Nationalist MP claimed this encounter took place on "a Wednesday or Thursday of the first week of January." Days later, on Sun- day 12 January, Prime Minister Abela announced that the gov- ernment would amend the law regulating magisterial inquiries. The first reading for the amend- ment was filed two days later, Azzopardi claimed. Azzopardi described the pro- posed legislation, Bill No. 125, as ad hominem, arguing that it di- rectly affected his pending cases. He referred in particular to a government amendment pro- posed on 26 March during the Committee for the Considera- tion of Bills, which set the cut-off date for applicability as "all cases still pending when the law enters into force", a clause that would capture three of his pending ap- peals. Lawyers Eve borg Costanzi and Matthew Cutajar appeared for Repubblika, and lawyer Carina Bugeja Testa for State Advocate Chris Soler. ĦALEY XUEREB hxuereb@mediatoday.com.mt Prime Minister Robert Abela (left), according to lawyer Jason Azzopardi (right) sent a messenger to warn him against pursuing applications for magisterial inquiries (Photos: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)