Simon Busuttil and David Casa are considering going to the European Court of Justice after a court yesterday rejected a fresh bid for an inquiry into Minister Konrad Mizzi and OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri, the former Opposition Leader told The Malta Independent.

In May 2018, Magistrate Francesco Depasquale had rejected a request by Busuttil and Casa to order an inquiry into Mizzi and Schembri, deciding instead that all the documents and evidence presented in that case to be passed over to Magistrate Ian Farrugia, who was already considering a similar application. Depasquale had said that it made no sense to have double or even triple inquiries into the subject.

Magistrate Farrugia had decreed that there were grounds to investigate the duo, as well as the PM and a number of others over their connections to the Panama Papers revelations.

The seven had appealed, with Mr Justice Giovanni Grixti saying earlier this month that there was no legal basis to launch such an inquiry.

Following that development, Busuttil and Casa filed an application to revisit the original decision given by Magistrate Depasquale in May 2018, in a bid to have an investigation launched into Mizzi and Schembri.

But in a decree handed down yesterday, Magistrate Depasquale said that there is no “legal and judicial limbo”, as Busuttil and Casa claimed, and there was no need for his previous decree to be “given autonomous legal/judicial existence.” The magistrate said the May 2018 decision was final given that it had not been appealed at the time.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Busuttil said he respected the court’s decision but would continue “to knock on justice’s door until this is opened”.

Contacted by The Malta Independent, Busuttil confirmed that going to the ECJ was an avenue that is being explored. “We are looking into all possible legal avenues, including the ECJ. Our objective is to make sure that such a blatant case of corruption and money laundering does not go unpunished and is, as a minimum, investigated. I have no doubt that everyone agrees on that,” Busuttil said.

The former Opposition Leader, when asked if he had the backing of the PN leadership to seek such avenues, said he did.

In a press conference yesterday, the Labour party said Simon Busuttil is "a threat to rule of law in our country."