Justice Minister Owen Bonnici defended Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi, saying that the Panama Papers prove what was declared in Minister Mizzi’s declaration of assets.

In comments given to The Malta Independent before he entered Parliament, the minister said that what the Panama Papers revealed was that what Dr Mizzi had said these past few weeks has been proven true.

Dr Mizzi would have had to resign if what Opposition leader Simon Busuttil alleged had been revealed, but this was not the case, he said.

This morning the Minister said he has not yet seen the declaration of assets. Dr Bonnici said that the Prime Minister has seen it and also Cabinet Office Officials, who are servants responsible for overlooking the procedure. Dr Bonnici stressed that it is not within his remit to see other Minister’s declaration of assets.

Dr Bonnici described the financial advice given to Dr Mizzi as politically naive.

On the Minister Mizzi’s company being described as a management consultancy and brokerage firm as a management consultancy and brokerage firm, Dr Bonnici said – “Dr Mizzi explained what happened. He said that the company he acquired in Panama was an already existing company. This is a standard clause that was in the company he bought”.

Interestingly however, according to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, this is not the case. The ICIJ website says the following – “In June 2015, Mizzi told Mossack Fonseca he would use Hearnville as a management consultancy and brokerage firm”.

Culture Minister Bonnici was inaugurating the end of the bastion restoration project, restoring the St Peter and St Mary Bastions as well as the Greek gate.

The project covered 9,600 m2 and cost around €530,000. The funds came from the EU, he said. The Minister explained that back in 2007, an amount of EU funds was put aside for restoration projects including work done around Mdina. In 2014 however, the Restoration Directorate asked for more to conduct the restoration of the aforementioned bastions and gate. They had some funds left over and applied for more.