HSBC yesterday admitted an “administrative error” was made when it issued “certain letters” bearing the address of its Attard branch after the premises had been closed down.

The bank said it noted “continued interest in whether correspondence from the bank’s Attard branch was issued after the branch closed”. It added: “The bank confirms that certain letters were issued containing the address of Attard branch after its closure due to an administrative error within the bank’s correspondence system and templates. HSBC reiterates that it does not comment publicly on individual customer accounts and relationships.”

In an item entitled ‘HSBC letters issued months after closure’, the Times of Malta yesterday reported that the bank’s branch in Attard stopped banking operations 15 months before two reference letters had been issued on behalf of the Prime Minister’s closest aide and a business associate.

There is nothing untoward or suspicious in the bank reference the bank had issued to me in May 2013

Soon after HSBC’s declaration, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri, issued a statement insisting the bank confirmed “there is nothing untoward or suspicious in the bank reference the bank had issued to me in May 2013”.

“It is now all too clear that the whole saga is nothing but one of a very long list of fabrications and lies in my regard intended solely to harm my reputation and by extension that of the government.

“I do not expect better from certain bloggers but the complicity by certain respected media institutions is unacceptable and a bane to democratic standards and well-being of this country,” Mr Schembri said.

Copies of the HSBC documents circulating in the social media indicated they consisted of reference letters to Mr Schembri’s financial advisor in relation to the opening of a company in Panama.