Two men who had been granted prison leave, returned to the prisons drunk yesterday, the Opposition Home Affairs spokesman Jason Azzopardi said.

The two had been serving prison sentences of several years.

He said they had been drinking at the Hamrun feast and were seen in two bars when they were supposed to be working for Tarxien Council.

He said this incident should not come as a surprise under this administration as in the past months, several inmates tested positive for alcohol and drugs when they were allowed out on prison leave. Yet they were still granted prison leave again.

This, he said, reflected a lack of discipline.

MINISTRY DENIAL

In a reaction, the Ministry of Home Affairs denied Dr Azzopardi's claims. It said the prisoners were found at Tarxien Council yesterday afternoon. They were breathalysed and found not to be drunk.

MP STANDS HIS GROUND

In a reaction, Dr Azzopardi accused the ministry of 'lying' 

He said six prison officials (whose numbers he gave) were witnesses of the  breathalyser tests which resulted 0.10 and 0.15 (instead of 0) for the two prisoners when they returned to the prisons yesterday.