No portfolio Minister Konrad Mizzi said today that if he could go back, he would not have set up the company in Panama or a trust in New Zealand because of the barrage of harsh criticism this decision brought about.

Minister Konrad Mizzi was addressing journalists right after meeting with the PANA Committee. He said that in the meeting, he had the opportunity to confirm that he never lied about the companies and the reason behind their set-up. Still, he believes that with hindsight, this decision brought about harsh criticism and, given the chance, he would have done things differently.

Dr Mizzi explained that the meeting with the PANA Committee was very cordial and according to him, the MEPs were not particularly interested to look into individual cases but to look into the financial and fiscal services in Malta.   

Konrad Mizzi said he had the opportunity to explain all the details about his accounts, about their timing, on the fact that he had declared that he was a PEP (politically exposed person) and that there was no corruption involved. "I have said this before and repeated it today; I opened up the company for family estate planning. The audit report shows that the company in New Zealand was registered with the relevant authorities."

He believes all the truth is out now. "I never had anything to hide. I appeared before the committee because I have nothing to hide."

"I did a lot of good work for this government when it comes to health and energy," he added. When asked about Nexia BT's behaviour, he said that the company gave him very professional advice.

Asked to say if this is a closed chapter for him, the Minister said that it's not up to him to decide, but up to the citizens.