Prime Minister Robert Abela has announced that the Cabinet will discuss the possibility of granting a Presidential pardon to three students and a lecturer facing court proceedings over ethical hacking related to the FreeHour app in 2022.
Speaking to the media following a special EU leaders’ summit in Brussels, Dr Abela expressed his belief that the charges were unjust and stated that this case could merit the use of the Cabinet’s prerogative to terminate criminal proceedings.
He emphasised that the state must take responsibility when failing to update laws in line with modern technological realities.
Earlier this week, Michael Debono, Giorgio Grigolo, Luke Bjorn Scerri, and lecturer Mark Joseph Vella were charged in court with unauthorised access to the FreeHour app. They pleaded not guilty, and proceedings are ongoing.
Dr Abela stressed the need to address this issue not only from a legal standpoint but also in the context of today’s technological landscape.
Taking to Facebook, Nationalist leader Bernard Grech stated that “The government of Robert Abela had a responsibility to ensure that the three young men and their lecturer accused of hacking were never taken to court, especially since there is widespread agreement that they did nothing wrong.”
In a statement the Nationalist Party also stated that “Robert Abela should change the law instead of allowing three students and their lecturer to be found guilty of hacking, only to then grant them amnesty.”
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