Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1008890
MATTHEW VELLA THE inquiring magistrate into the Egrant affair was told at one point that the secret Pana- manian company had been owned by the Labour Party, to serve as a vehicle for its elec- toral funds. The claim – not mentioned in the inquiry conclusions re- leased to the public – was al- legedly made to Magistrate Aaron Bugeja by the former police inspector Jonathan Fer- ris who left the corps in Octo- ber 2016 to join the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit a month later. MaltaToday is informed by two sources privy to the in- vestigation led by the magis- trate, that Ferris allegedly told Bugeja that it was John Dalli – the former EU Commissioner – who suggested during a po- lice interrogation that Egrant belonged to the PL. Dalli was later called in by Bugeja for an explanation, and denied having ever told Ferris such a statement. Yesterday MaltaToday got in touch with both men. Dalli re- fused to comment on the mag- isterial inquiry, apart from denying that he had ever had any knowledge or connection to Egrant. Ferris on the other hand, told MaltaToday he could not re- call suggesting the allegation to Bugeja. Newspaper post YOUR FIRST READ AND CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT 2 maltatoday today today SUNDAY • 29 JULY 2018 • ISSUE 977 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY €1.95 Simon Busuttil has 'olive branch' for Adrian Delia's beleaguered ally MASSIMO COSTA FORMER Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has come out in support of Pierre Portelli, the former Malta Inde- pendent director, over fears he might have to face charges over falsified declarations of trust submitted to the Egrant inquiry. Busuttil is resisting a demand by PN leader Adrian Delia to resign from the PN's parliamentary group for his role in endorsing the allegation in 2017 that Egrant was owned by the Prime Minister's wife. But Delia himself is refusing to sack Portelli, his advisor and head of the PN's media, for his own role in the Egrant affair, claiming he is not a poli- tician. Ferris told inquiry Egrant was Labour's Revisiting the nightmare THE EGRANT AFFAIR How Magistrate Aaron Bugeja unravelled the Egrant allegations PGS 12-15 SAVIOUR BALZAN PG 21 PAGE 2 Solidarity for Pierre Portelli a reminder that Delia too is hamstrung by Egrant Inquiry sources: 'Jonathan Ferris suggested John Dalli told him Egrant was Labour's electoral fund' call suggesting PAGE 2 2 malta SUNDAY • SUNDAY • TAMARA WEBB Social media infl uencer and lover- of-life Tamara Webb bares all in the MaltaToday Q&A In MaltaToday 2 In her fi rst ever interview with MaltaToday, the Prime Minister's spouse Michelle Muscat speaks about the Egrant affair, and how her family endured the allegations that captivated the nation in 2017