PN Leader Simon Busuttil has challenged the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) to publish the latest report relatng to Minister Konrad Mizzi and OPM Chief of Staff Keith Schembri.

He was addressing a political activity in Mdina this morning, in the middle of two busy roads. The conference was continuously interrupted by hooting cars and people shouting “Simon!”, which brought a lighter atmosphere to an otherwise tense conference. 

Sources told the Malta Independent that a 120-page report with damning evidence on Dr Mizzi and Mr Schembri is under lock and key within the FIAU awaiting conclusion. The Malta Independent has seen extracts of this damning report that shows how investigations by the unit revealed that there were two attempts to transfer money to 17 Black from Orion Engineering group (a company registered at the same address and having the same involved parties as Armada Floating Gas Services Malta Ltd). This newsroom has said that it will make the leaked information available to the inquiring Magistrate.

The FIAU denied that there was any "conclusive report or conclusions as are being alleged". It should be noted that the article published by this newsroom clearly states that the report in question is still awaiting conclusion.

Dr Busuttil has also said that if elected, he will make this report public.

He also promised that a PN government would immediately investigate all contracts signed by this PL government, such as the Vitals Global Healthcare contract and the citizenship-by-investment one.

“If Mr Schembri had received kickbacks on the IIP programme, god knows what else there is”.

Turning to allegations that one of the PN deputy leaders, Mario de Marco, is involved in a Cypriot company, Dr Busuttil said that this is another lie by Dr Muscat. He said that Dr de Marco is the Director of a company in Cyprus as part of his services as a lawyer, and invited journalists to check his Parliamentary declaration of assets which shows that the deputy leader has declared his interests from the start.

Answering questions in relation to the other PN deputy leader, Beppe Fenech Adami, the Opposition Leader said that here too Dr Muscat is fabricating claims to save his own kneck. Dr Fenech Adami is implicated in a scandal where a company he was non-executive director of, Capital One, was linked with the wrongdoing’s of a Dutch national, accused of drug trafficking and money laundering.

A report was commissioned on behalf of the Prime Minister and led by three former judges. They were tasked to investigate why the Malta Police Force stopped investigations into the matter when Dr Fenech Adami’s name popped up.

The published report found no wrongdoing, however Dr Muscat claims that there is a section that was sealed off from being published, which he has seen, and allegedly describes damning details about Dr Fenech Adami’s involvement.

Asked about whether he will be taking action against his deputy leader in the light of this, Dr Busuttil first blasted the Prime Minister for commissioning such an extensive investigation into this without doing the same for Minister Konrad Mizzi and Mr Schembri and their involvement in the Panama Papers scandal. He ridiculed the Prime Minister’s claims and also blasted one of the former judges, Philip Sciberras, for insulting the opposition leader on Facebook, questioning whether this is appropriate from a former member of the judiciary.

Turning to two separate allegations about Mr Schembri, that he had received kickbacks through the citizen-by-investment scheme by Nexia BT’s Brian Tonna, and a separate investigation into claims of money laundering after transactions were flagged from Mr Schembri to Mr Adrian Hillman, Dr Busuttil said:

“Can you imagine, Dr Muscat is denying claims that are backed up through documents that I have presented. If he is going to deny these things, can you imagine what he’ll say about the Egrant inquiry?”

Dr Muscat had also claimed that Dr Busuttil had received commissions on a court case in an illicit manner. The Prime Minister had said:

“You take commissions. When you became PN Deputy Leader, there was a case which took 9 years in court. When you were promoted, the clients you represented went to Cabinet and were paid €5 million out of court. Were you paid for that?”

Dr Busuttil then said that the PM, to defend himself, needs to go back five years to a time when he was involved in a case as a lawyer to dirty his name. Rejecting the claim, he also questioned why he would have a case before the courts for nine years if he was going to play dirty anyway. He also gave a breakdown of the timeline to refute the assertion, however did not answer a journalist’s question on whether he received a cent from this €5 million pay-out.