Nationalist Party Deputy Leader Beppe Fenech Adami today said that the magisterial inquiry headed by Magistrate Aaron Bugeja on whether the Prime Minister’s wife Michelle Muscat is the owner of Egrant Inc could be widened to investigate kickback claims made by Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil against the PM’s chief of staff Keith Schembri.
“Those who saw the court application this morning would see that it widens the parameters of the inquiry. The title of the inquiry itself allows for a wide scope, but also because of the nature of the initial allegations. The magistrate can widen the scope as he wishes in order to gather proof and ascertain any crimes committed.
“The magisterial inquiry is about Mrs Michelle Muscat and allegations that she is the ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) of Egrant Inc, about whether Mr Schembri or the Prime Minister have bank accounts with Pilatus Bank, whether any dubious financial transactions took place through Pilatus Bank.
“Mrs Muscat, Keith Schembri, Konrad Mizzi, John Dalli, financial transactions of Pilatus Bank and acts of corruption or money laundering linked with Azerbaijan are all within the scope of the inquiry. It may be widened, by law, when new facts emerge,” he said when addressing a press conference.
Dr Busuttil said yesterday that Nexia BT's Brian Tonna received payments from three Russians for the sale of citizenship, which he then transferred to OPM Chief of Staff Keith Schembri.
Dr Busuttil said that Brian Tonna received €166,800 from three Russians for the sale of Maltese Citizenship. The funds were passed into an account at Pilatus Bank belonging to Mr Tonna's British Virgin Island's Company (Willerby Trade inc.), he said. Soon after, Dr Busuttil alleged, two equal payments of €50,000 amounting to a total of €100,000 were passed on to Keith Schembri's Pilatus bank account. Mr Schembri denied the allegations.
Dr Busuttil said that the "ridiculous excuse given by Mr Schembri and Mr Tonna was that Mr Tonna was repaying Mr Schembri for a loan he gave when he was separating a few years ago. As if Brian Tonna needs someone to loan him €100,000."
Dr Fenech Adami slammed the Prime Minister for continuing to defend Mr Schembri, and repeated calls for the PM’s resignation. He said that enough damage to the economy and the financial services industry has been done, and that he should step down in order not to “drag down Malta with [him]”. He said that defending Mr Schembri makes him “politically complicit”.
Alongside Dr Fenech Adami was shadow minister for justice Jason Azzopardi and spokesperson for social politics, and president of the general council, Paula Mifsud Bonnici.
Dr Azzopardi gave an overview of the facts of Dr Busuttil’s claims, as highlighted above, and said that Dr Busuttil will divulge the proof he has if Magistrate Bugeja accepts the PN’s court application. The application was filed in order for Dr Busuttil to bring proof of his claims before the magistrate, and for any action to be taken should a case be made.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici stressed that the people are not believing Dr Muscat’s defence, and that his credibility has completely been called into question.
Asked by The Malta Independent whether calls for the PM’s resignation would not be respecting the democratic process, in view of the 36,000 mandate he enjoys, Dr Fenech Adami replied that Dr Muscat does not have a mandate to defend criminals and corrruption, and that he “betrayed the public”.
It is too soon to say whether the Magistrate will accept the PN’s court application, while the PN appears to remain resolved in its decision not to publish any proof it claims it has, unless it has the opportunity to take that proof before the magistrate.