Fraudulent bankruptcy allegations rejected

A man, alleged by third parties to be a fraudulent bankrupt, yesterday filed a judicial protest in the First Hall of the Civil Court categorically refuting the allegations.

Ronald Azzopardi filed his protest against Francis and Victoria Bonello.

He declared that from an article published in The Times on July 9, under the heading Couple Asks Court To Declare Fraudulent Bankruptcy, he got to know that the Bonellos had filed a writ of summons against him.

The Bonellos had asked the court to declare Mr Azzopardi a fraudulent bankrupt and had alleged that they had loaned him Lm285,000 which sum had not been repaid.

Furthermore, the Bonellos had declared that Mr Azzopardi owed money to other creditors and that he had transferred the money loaned to him to various companies he controlled with the aim of abusing of the principle of limited liability.

In yesterday's protest, Mr Azzopardi categorically denied the allegations made by the Bonellos, as reported in the newspaper article.

He explained that he worked in the tourism sector which was sensitive and volatile, and the allegations made against him by the Bonellos could seriously prejudice his business.

Mr Azzopardi denied that he owed Lm285,000 to the Bonellos and added that the proceedings filed against him, and the publicity awarded them, were solely aimed at causing him to sustain damages and prejudicing his business.

The Bonellos, Mr Azzopardi claimed, were implicitly blackmailing him and were causing him to suffer financial problems as the word was spreading that Mr Azzopardi was not of good standing.

Mr Azzopardi concluded his protest by calling upon respondents to meet for the liquidation and payment of the damages he had sustained and called upon them to immediately withdraw the proceedings they had filed against him.

Dr Alex Perici Calascione signed the protest.