[WATCH] Azzopardi after illegal filming charges: ‘I would love to say a lot of things but reason dictates otherwise’

Lawyer Jason Azzopardi did not comment as he exited court after the first sitting in which he pleaded not guilty to charges of illegal filming inside the courthouse.

Azzopardi told journalists that he was refraining from making any comments out of respect for the judicial process.

“I would love to give a comment, and there are a lot of things I would love to say, but reason dictates otherwise,” he told journalists outside court on Monday evening. “I cannot speak about the case.”

Nonetheless, the lawyer thanked the Nationalist Party, former Repubblika president Robert Aquilina and other people who showed solidarity with him.

He allegedly filmed Prime Minister Robert Abela and Justice Minister Jonathan Attard while speaking with aides inside the law courts last Monday. The filming incident happened just after the Appeals Court ruled that the State Advocate is empowered to sue Steward Health Care to recoup money paid by the State as part of the hospitals concession.

 The case had been filed by the Nationalist Party.

The footage had been uploaded to the Facebook page of Net News with a caption claiming the footage was shot one hour after the court ruling. NET News had described the scene as an attempt by Abela and Attard to “formulate a partisan strategy after their court defeat.”

Questioned on whether he would be tendering his submission as University of Malta lecturer by a ONE News journalist, Azzopardi snapped back asking him whether Agriculture Minister had suspended himself after being found in possession of a historical artefact.

Not a case of intimidation – Justice Minister

In comments to the media outside the Court Building, Justice Minister Jonathan Attard denied allegations being made by the Opposition and NGOs that this was a case of intimidation against one of government’s harshest critics.

“This is a situation where as Justice Minister I was asked to testify on a situation in which I was involved. But this goes beyond the fact that the Justice Minister and Prime Minister were seen in the video in question. It is a situation where, it’s a known fact that no pictures or videos can be captured inside the court building without the authorisation of the Chief Justice or the court administration,” Attard said.