Opposition Leader Adrian Delia has published the full, un-redacted version of the Egrant report this evening.

Yesterday, the Constitutional Court ordered the Attorney General to give Delia a copy of the report. The Egrant report had been compiled then then Magistrate Aaron Bugeja. The inquiry was held after reports that Egrant, a company opened in Panama, belonged to the Prime Minister's family. The inquiry conclusions had found that the evidence in at hand did not link Egrant to Muscat or his family. Two other companies opened in Panama belonged to former chief of staff Keith Schembri and former Minister Konrad Mizzi.

Delia had first sought legal advice to see if there are any legal reasons from the law governing magisterial inquiries, or reasons stemming from the Court's judgement, that stops him from publishing the whole report. The legal advice given was that there isn't. He said that he had also appointed experts to see whether there was any reason within the report as to why it shouldn't be published.

He said that in his opinion the decision at hand was whether to publish the whole report, or not publish anything at all. The third option, of publishing part of the report, is not acceptable, he said, noting that all censorship, even if motivated by good intentions, is not acceptable in the difficult time the country is passing through.

He said that he sought the advice of the Parliamentary Group to see what they thought, without them actually seeing the report. They recommended that it be published as the most important consideration is that the whole truth come out.

Delia said that the report shows that there were cases where the authorities had to take steps, but instead failed in their duties, and did not take steps according to law. "This means that Joseph Muscat, Owen Bonnici and the Attorney General knew for 18 months that steps needed to be taken and that there were investigations that had to take place, yet they did nothing. As a consequence, important evidence could have been hidden for the truth to remain a mystery."

"Today we know why Muscat kept dragging his feet and hiding the whole report from the people."

Delia said that when the government had published a few pages of the report, "I had accepted them, but it was never acceptable that the whole report be in the hands of Joseph Muscat, his ministerial friends and Castille officials, while being kept hidden from the Opposition and the Maltese people. This was an important point of principle that that affects fundamental rights, that damaged transparency and political accountability."

Delia went on to say how the AG had passed on a copy not only to Muscat, but Justice Minister Owen Bonnici. It was also revealed that the former Communications Head Kurt Farrugia also had a copy of the inquiry, and hoe three ministers had access to parts of the inquiry report that was not published.

Delia said that he used his judgement with a sense of tremendous responsibility in his decision to publish the whole report.

"There are a number of political conclusions that emerge from the report. I feel disgusted. The fact that new facts emerge from this report, facts that the AG and the PM knew about when they received the report. Possibly criminal facts that involve people who had an office in Castille. Despite these facts, these people spent months benefitting from their positions with impunity. This was the real reason for the report remaining a mystery for 18 months. Corruption grows in silence."

The report can be found here

Notice to readers: The link may take long to upload because of the magnitude of the file

PL reaction

The Labour Party, in reaction, said that the publication of the entire Egrant report can only confirm what was revealed in the conclusions that were already published.

"In simple terms, the rumour that Egrant belonged to the family of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was the biggest political frame up in political history."

"This is why the Prime Minister never had a problem publishing, although over the last years he waited for the outcome of the case opened by Delia."

The PL said that Muscat had himself launched the process so that publication would be done in a way that would not prejudice investigations, and that details of people who have nothing to do with the case be protected.

Delia, however, did not want to wait for this process, the PL said, arguing that the Leader of the Opposition wanted to prejudice investigations, "among other things to protect the evil the PN created and led in this political frame up."

The PL claim that Delia will also be prejudicing other investigations.