Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi has decided to drop libel cases against PN MPs only because Nexia BT’s Karl Cini was due to testify, according to PN MP Jason Azzopardi.
Karl Cini was instrumental in setting up Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi’s Panama companies as well as the infamous Egrant.
On Wednesday evening, Konrad Mizzi said he was withdrawing libel cases relating to allegations of money laundering, saying that he will focus instead on projects that are beneficial to the economy.
The move came after a court turned down another attempt, by Simon Busuttil and David Casa, to launch an inquiry into Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri. The request was turned down on technical grounds, with the magistrate in question saying the duo were two late in appealing the original decision, handed down in May of last year. Busuttil and Casa told The Malta Independent last week that they were considering taking the case before the European Court of Justice.
In a statement issued by the Department of Information, Mizzi said the court had “determined that the allegations of money laundering in connection with the Panama Papers revelations are mere speculation.”
“The courts had already decreed conclusively that Busuttil and Casa’s allegations are no valid basis for a criminal inquiry,” he said.
Mizzi said he would be withdrawing several related libel cases. “While some defendants may rejoice to know that they will not shoulder a monetary cost for their lies, it should also be clear to them that they already lost their political credibility,” the statement said.
Reacting on Facebook, PN MP Jason Azzopardi said Mizzi was “corrupt and a chicken.”
Mizzi, he said, had only dropped the cases against him, Simon Busuttil and Beppe Fenech Adami after they had declared that they would summon Karl Cini as a witness for the next sitting in March.
In a tweet, former PN Leader Simon Busuttil said: “Bottom line: when I said that Konrad Mizzi is corrupt I was damn right. I knew it then and he’s confirming it now by dropping his libel case against me.”