The Police Force has not begun investigating any of the multiple and multifaceted leads emerging from the Panama Papers leaks, nor is there any impetus within the force to do so, a source from within the corps has confirmed with this newspaper.

In the meantime, the Police Force has also refused, for over six weeks now, to answer this newspaper’s questions as to whether or not it is investigating any information whatsoever that has been brought to public light through the Panama Papers leaks.

This newspaper’s first request for, at the very least, a simple confirmation of whether it is taking any action whatsoever with respect to the Panama Papers information dates back to 15 April, with numerous reminders having been sent in the meantime.

Much of the information emanating from the Panama Papers is publicly available through a simple search on the website of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which could easily put the authorities on the trail of potential Maltese tax evaders and money launderers, while the full leaks from the Mossack Fonseca email server – comprising over 11.5 million documents in all are available to the project’s media partners.

The Malta Independent is an official partner of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung and gained full access to the entire set of the Panama Papers.

But, perhaps needless to say, this publishing house has received no request for additional or any information whatsoever from the Maltese authorities on any of the stories it has published nor for any other information whatsoever – despite the fact that the papers hold dozens of potential Maltese leads on possible tax evasion and money laundering crimes.

The only comment the police had made with any reference to the Panama Papers was back in March, when the force confirmed that they had not launched an investigation, as had been called for by the Opposition, into any of the contracts in which former Energy and Health Minister Konrad Mizzi and Office of the Prime Minister Chief of Staff Keith Schembri had played a part in.

Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil, during a protest against corruption held at the beginning of March, had called on the police to investigate every government project which was approved under Dr Mizzi and Mr Schembri while they have been in government positions. The call came in the wake of revelations that Dr Mizzi had opened a company in Panama, a tax haven, and Mr Schembri had done likewise and simultaneously.

At the time, the police had replied: “With reference to the allegations involving Minister Konrad Mizzi and OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri, kindly note that to date there is no reasonable suspicion that a crime was committed, which, in such cases, is legally required to initiate investigations.”