Speaker rules he cannot determine whether Aquilina laughed at Carmelo Abela during speech

Speaker Anglu Farrugia ruled he was not in a position to determine whether Opposition MP Karol Aquilina laughed when government MP Carmelo Abela was recounting the ordeal he passed through when linked to the attempted HSBC heist.

He also urged MPs to treat each other with respect.

During Monday’s sitting, Farrugia said the camera was on Abela, who was delivering his speech on the Nationalist Party’s motion regarding the amendments to the anti-SLAPP law.

He stated that the camera turned towards the Speaker for a few seconds but never focused on Aquilina.

“Therefore, I am not in a position to say whether Aquilina laughed during Abela’s speech,” he said.

Aquilina requested a ruling on a breach of parliamentary privilege against the Justice Minister Jonathan Attard. During the parliamentary sitting in which the anti-SLAPP law was being discussed, Labour MP Carmelo Abela began crying when recounting what he had gone through due to the claim made against him by former Opposition MP Jason Azzopardi.

Attard had then claimed Aquilina was laughing, with the claim being repeated by government MPs a number of times since then.

Government MP Ramona Attard was also chided by the Speaker after repeating the claim as the debate continued on Monday evening.