Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Wednesday that he could “never justify the Panama Papers”, after being asked by journalists whether he would distance himself from former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and the scandals which happened under his tenure.

Abela was speaking to journalists after a meeting with the MCESD when he was asked whether he would denounce or distance himself from former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who served as Prime Minister from 2013 to the end of 2019, after a number of scandals connected to corruption and money laundering during his tenure emerged.

“Joseph Muscat hasn’t formed part of this government since January 2020.  Today he is no longer an MP, and so that question is already answered”, Abela said.

He also disagreed with the suggestion that Malta’s greylisting by international anti-money laundering watchdog the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) last week was primarily down to scandals which happened under Labour’s tenure in government.

“There were systematic mistakes for a number of years – both before 2013 when you had ministers who had bank accounts with huge money abroad, and after 2013 as well.  I am determined that the mistakes which happened in the past remain a thing of the past, and that we can move forward and work so that they are not repeated”, he said.

“That’s why this exercise is a useful tool so that all of the wrong things which happened doesn’t repeat itself”, Abela added.

Pushed on whether he would distance himself from Muscat, given that he was also part of his Cabinet as a consultant, as a sign that he will in fact be working to move the country forward from scandals of the past.

“I can never justify the Panama Papers”, he replied.

The Panama Papers scandal was likely the biggest corruption scandal to rock the Muscat legislature, when it emerged that his chief of staff Keith Schembri and top government minister Konrad Mizzi both held secret companies in Panama.

Daphne Caruana Galizia had claimed that a third company, called Egrant, was owned by Muscat’s wife Michelle Muscat – but an inquiry found no evidence to back the claim up, even if the company’s owner remains unconfirmed.

Speaking about the FATF’s greylisting of Malta, Abela said that the government’s work will be focused on obtaining a “swift exit” from the FATF’s increased monitoring procedure.