Independent MP Marlene Farrugia has filed a motion of censure in Keith Schembri, the OPM’s chief of staff. In her motion, she has requested that an ad hoc committee be formed in order to investigate the serious allegations made against Mr Schembri.
She proposed that it be made up of three Government MPs, four Opposition MPs and should be presided over by the Opposition. She added that Mr Schembri should be brought before the committee to testify, and that any other witness should appear upon request of the committee.
Dr Farrugia added that pending the outcome of the investigation, Parliament could decide to censure Mr Schembri while the Prime Minister could ask for his resignation.
“The important thing is that an investigation takes place to verify all the allegations,” she said in comments to this newsroom.
Earlier today, she wrote on Facebook that she will be filing the motion “in the name of all the Maltese and Gozitans.”
Mr Schembri is named in the Panama Papers scandal. The Malta Independent has been made an official partner of the International Consoritium of Investigative Journalists, meaning that full documentation related to the case have been made available. As a result of this, it came to light that Mr Schembri transferred roughly three quarters of a million euro to a company in the British Virgin Isles in 2014 alone.
Fresh information, and the fact that while no-portfolio Minister Konrad Mizzi – who was also found to have similar financial structures as Mr Schembri – had his health and energy portfolios removed, Mr Schembri still enjoys the PM’s trust - sparking renewed calls for his resignation.
Last month, Dr Farrugia had presented a motion of no confidence in No-Portfolio Minister Konrad Mizzi. Like Schembri, Mizzi has a company in Panama. The motion had been rejected as Labour enjoys a healthy parliamentary majority. It is the Speaker's perogative to accept the motion.
PN expresses support for motion of no confidence in Keith Schembri
The Opposition will be voting in favour of the motion filed by Independent MP Marlene Farrugia this evening in Parliament. The motion calls for Prime Minister Joseph Muscat order the resignation of his Chief of Staff Keith Schembri.
In a statement issued this evening, the PN said that the position of Keith Schembri has not been tenable for 10 weeks – since the revelations that both no-portfolio Minister Konrad Mizzi opened up companies in the financially secretive jurisdiction of Panama while in office.
“From that day till now, it has also emerged that Keith Schembri has a secret company in the British Virgin Isles, transferred $750,000 into the account in 2014 and also bribed one of the Directors of Allied Newspapers [publishers of the Times of Malta].”
Support for Marlene Farrugia's Censure Motion
Civil Society Network expressed its support of the motion to censure Keith Schembri which independent MP Marlene Farrugia will be presenting in Parliament of Malta today.
"Keith Schembri, as Prime Minister's Chief of Staff, and Konrad Mizzi, as Minister in Prime Minister's Office have refused to resign despite the fact that they feature in the Panama Papers scandal. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat keeps defending them, and forced Labour members of parliament to vote in favour of Konrad Mizzi in the previous vote of no-confidence against him".
"If Prime Minister Joseph Muscat truly loves his country and his party, he should allow the party whip to allow a free-vote among Labour MPs".
"Civil Society Network appeals to all members of parliament to vote for Malta and therefore support Marlene Farrugia's vote of no confidence in Keith Schembri".