Former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has said that if a member of his Cabinet had been mentioned in the Panama Leaks scandal, it would have been the Minister himself who would have asked to leave government.
In an interview with The Malta Independent, economist Mario Monti says that he would have been very harsh with the politician involved in the Panama scandal.
“As a leader who has enforced the instruments against tax evasion, of course I would have been very tough with that particular minister,” he said.
“Probably, if the facts were established, it would have been the Minister himself who would hand in his resignation,” he added.
Reacting to the leaks which revealed millions of documents that mentioned politicians who have hidden their money in offshore shell companies in Panama and other tax havens, Mr Monti said that proper declaration of assets could avoid such situations.
He also speaks about the disintegration of Europe and says that the current European leaders are failing to take long-term solutions. Mr Monti insists that EU politicians should have the guts to take the necessary decisions rather than being concerned about opinion polls.
“We are now moving towards a followership era, instead of leadership. Politicians are fighting to get better positions in the opinion polls and of course the elections.”
On migration, the former EU Commissioner believes that the EU is not yet equipped, both politically and psychologically to address the crises.
The full interview will be published tomorrow in The Malta Independent, while parts of the filmed interview can be viewed on independent.com.mt.