Malta’s Junior Minister for Sport’s official car was singled out for criticism last night after photos emerged of it using a bus stop in St Julian’s for its own personal parking bay.

The photo, shared on Facebook group ‘The-Salott’, shows the ministerial car with the number plate ‘GM 23’ and other cars blocking the bay along Gorg Borg Olivier street in the area and preventing passengers, one of whom is a wheelchair, from safely boarding any bus that passes.

“Special thanks to GM23 and all the other cars for parking on a bus stop. Apprezzajna hafna,” one person said. “Lead by example they say,” said another.

It is unclear what event was taking place at the time or whether  Junior Minister Clifton Grima was using the vehicle at the time. Grima has since issued an apology for the error, revealing that it was his driver who parked there.

Lovin Malta erroneously stated that the car belonged to Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli and apologises for any issues caused.