Attorney General Peter Grech has said it is an “outright lie” that he had advised police to tread carefully on the Panama Papers case.

“The Attorney General  refers to and categorically denies as an outright lie and calumny an allegation made on Facebook and attributed to the Public Inquiry Board by Dr Jason Azzopardi to the effect that the Attorney General gave written advice ‘warning Police to go slow on this investigation as it will cause trouble in the country’,” Grech said.

During this morning’s sitting of the public inquiry into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, Judge Emeritus Joseph Said Pullicino asked former Economic Crimes Unit (ECU) head Ian Abdilla whether the police’s inaction on the Panama Papers was due to the AG’s advice. Abdilla insisted he could not recall such advice.

PN MP Jason Azzopardi, who is also the Caruana Galizia family lawyer, said Grech must resign in the wake of such allegations.

“With his 2016 note ensuring impunity, Peter Grech, the Attorney General, signed the death warrant of Daphne Caruana Galizia,” he said.

“I have no words strong enough to denounce your spineless, amoral bootlicking of this Government. You intentionally advised and warned police not to prosecute for corruption Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri and Joseph Muscat in order to avoid unrest in the country.”

“The Attorney General has to resign or asked to resign today. Robert Abela has to choose: either be an accomplice in the culture of impunity which has killed Daphne and thus defends the AG, or do the right thing and formally ask him to resign. If not, the Opposition will do what must be done.”

Cover photo: Left: Attorney General Peter Grech; Right: Judge Emeritus Joseph Said Pullicino