Civil Society Network is asking the Maltese Authorities to hold an independent investigation into the activities of the FIAU as from 1 January 2016 to date, “which investigation should include, among other matters, an analysis of any form of any form of communication which might have taken place between persons involved in the FIAU and third parties.”
CSN said it was calling for such an inquiry because it believes that the allegations made in the past months in respect of the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit cannot be left unverified.
“Whereas it hopes that the Prime Minister takes the initiative himself and consults the Opposition without delay on this matter so that an independent investigation is carried out by persons agreed upon by both the Government and the Opposition, the Network is once again asking for the help of the other Members of the House of Representatives so that in the eventuality that the Prime Minister does not take this step by noon of Tuesday 5 December 2017, then other Members of the House of Representatives would present a motion in the House to ask for the holding of such an investigation.”
CSN said it was taking this position because it believes that the Maltese should be reassured that all the Organs of the Maltese State are doing all that is in their power in order to combat criminal activity taking place in Malta and do not close their eyes in front of any form of illegality.
FIAU reacts to TOM report
Times of Malta today reported that sacked FIAU official Jonathan Ferris was prevented from taking a report calling for criminal action against Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi to court.
The Malta Independent reported the contents of the report in question at the end of last May.
Casa yesterday said that he was in possession of the full report, which concludes that Mizzi should be investigated for alleged money laundering and the possible existence of money derived from crime.
Last week Ferris told visiting MEPs that he had been called in by Magistrate Bugeja to testify about the leaked contents of the report on May 31. As he was preparing to leave, “FIAU director Kenneth Farrugia came running up to him and told him not to take the whole report about Konrad Mizzi to the court,” the Times reported.
The newspaper also published a frame grab from CCTV footage, which allegedly shows Farrugia holding the file on Konrad Mizzi during a “strange” meeting with Police Assistant Commissioner Ian Abdilla.
Reacting, the FIAU board said the photo derived from the “illegal use and access” of the CCTV system within its premises.
“The photograph itself shows that all movements within the FIAU premises, including the office of the Director, are in fact recorded and the FIAU staff are aware of this in accordance with data protection laws. It also shows the environment of internal accountability in which the FIAU operates,” the unit said.
The FIAU strongly deplored the fact that “its internal systems of accountability are being abused for the purpose of fuelling wild speculation to the effect that a meeting held between the police liaison officer to the FIAU and FIAU officials was some sort of a secret meeting and evidence of some conspiracy not to divulge information to the Court.”
“The Magisterial Inquiry to which it is reported that Jonathan Ferris made reference in his meeting with MEPs was about the leak of four pages from the particular working document referred to. Mr Ferris therefore had no justification whatsoever to take the whole working document to Court thereby giving rise to the possibility of covering the tracks for anyone who may have stolen or leaked the whole working document now allegedly in the possession of MEP David Casa,” it said.
The FIAU said it has “always done its duty and executed its functions according to law and is not there to play party political games or to be used in the arts of political spin.”