Education Minister Evarist Bartolo this morning said that he regrets not taking a stronger position in 2016 when the Panama Papers scandal broke, and considers it one of the mistakes of his political career.

Writing on Facebook, he said he should not have believed what he was being told. What we will learn from this, he added, is not to have a government that is stronger behind the scenes that it is on stage.

He said that when the Panama Papers broke he had warned in Parliament against forces which have a stronger influence than what it should be, as this was a threat to democracy. He said there were networks of people who tried to infiltrate parties for their own benefits.

We should beware of this, he had said, as sometimes what is happening behind the scenes is more important that what is happening on stage. And citizens do not always know what is happening behind the scenes, he had said.

This is why it was important, he had said, that all steps are taken to have institutions that keep watch over decisions that are taken, as otherwise there is a risk of having parallel governments, one on stage, and one behind the scenes.