Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1291181
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 23 SEPTEMBER 2020 NEWS NATIONALIST Party leader Adrian Delia has said that all those "who stole the country's money" must pay for their actions. "The former Attorney General's resignation was a confirmation of how in recent years, like the former police commissioner, he became a puppet of the La- bour government which snatched the country's insti- tutions," he said. Delia said the former AG did his utmost to prevent investigations from being carried out, in turn pre- venting the truth from emerging. "We are now waiting for all those responsible of corruption to face justice," Delia said. He said the Maltese people are fed up of the secrecy and lies. "These are delicate times for the truth to emerge, and so I appeal to the AG and police commissioner to take decisions in favour of the country's interests," he said. DAPHNE Caruana Galizia would still be alive today had Malta's in- stitutions worked effectively from the start, her family foundation said as it welcomed Keith Schembri's ar- rest. "We welcome the arrest of Keith Schembri, the former prime minis- ter's chief of staff, on suspicions of serious financial crime. The action against Schembri and his money laundering network is long over- due," the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation said on Tuesday. Caruana Galizia first revealed Schembri received kickbacks on the sale of Maltese passports, and laundered the proceeds through his network, on 24 April 2017. "For three and a half years, the Malta Police Force and the Attor- ney General failed in their legal ob- ligations to act against Schembri. A magistrate's inquest conducted in secret, whose findings remain secret, is no substitute for justice. Had Malta's institutions worked effectively from the start, Daphne would be alive today and the coun- try would have been spared years of pain, grief, and shame," the foundation said. Caruana Galizia was murdered on 16 October 2017 in a car bomb just after leaving her Bidnija house. Police believe she was killed be- cause of something she was going to write about. Three men have been charged with executing the assassination and businessman Yorgen Fenech stands accused of masterminding the murder. Fenech had business plans through his Dubai company 17 Black with Schembri, the power- ful chief of staff in Joseph Muscat's administration. Daphne Foundation welcomes Keith Schembri's arrest: 'Action long overdue' 'Delicate times for the truth to emerge' - Adrian Delia the investigation. Schembri and Fenech were not only friends but had also planned to do business togeth- er. Fenech's Dubai company 17 Black had been listed as a tar- get client for Schembri's Pan- ama company Tillgate. It was Nexia BT that helped set up the Panama company. Schembri's Panama company had been exposed by Daphne Caruana Galizia and later con- firmed in the Panama Papers leak. After the Panama Papers, Muscat retained Schembri in his powerful role and re-ap- pointed him chief of staff after the 2017 election returned La- bour to power. Caruana Galizia was assas- sinated in October 2017 and according to court testimony, Schembri allegedly passed on sensitive information about the murder investigation to Fenech. Asset freeze on 41 individuals The freezing order requested by the AG on Monday covers 41 individuals and 41 compa- nies. It hits Schembri and Ton- na, their immediate families, including their children, and their business associates and their families. The court ordered all banks, financial institutions, asset managers and public institu- tions of relevance to disclose to the police any information related to money deposits, property, accounts and safety deposit boxes held for and on behalf of all the listed people and companies. By law, the companies that received the court order had 24 hours to comply with the request. All media outlets reported the asset freeze late on Monday af- ter the attachment order was leaked. Judge orders leak investigation Meanwhile, a judge yesterday ordered the police to investi- gate the leak of the decree or- dering investigations and asset seizures. At law, broadcasting the attachment order is illegal. Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg filed a court applica- tion on Tuesday, pointing out that the Money Laundering Act makes it a criminal offence to reveal information which would possibly prejudice the effects of such orders or related investigation. Those convicted face up to a year in prison and a maximum fine of €11,646. In its decree on the matter, the court, presided by Madame Justice Edwina Grima, said it was worried about the fact that its decree had been not only leaked but also published in its entirety on several internet news portals. This could create serious prejudice to the admin- istration of justice and could hamper police investigations into the crimes. Although the court said it could never ask members of the media to reveal their sources without jeopardising freedom of expression, it deplored the fact that the details were pub- lished at such a delicate stage of investigations. The court upheld the AG's request and ordered the Com- missioner of Police to investi- gate whether a violation of the said article of the Money Laun- dering Act had taken place and whether or not there is the pos- sibility of persons facing crim- inal proceedings, "always with the safeguards to freedom of expression." Additional reporting: Nicole Meilak and Matthew Agius Keith Schembri's lawyers, Edward Gatt (left) and Mark Vassallo leaving police headquarters after meeting their client