Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1383989
4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 16 JUNE 2021 NEWS Banks refused to serve restaurants linked to money laundering allegations MATTHEW AGIUS THE magistrate presiding over the money laundering case against restauranteurs Florinda Sultana and Albert Buttigieg, of Capo Mulini, has heard a court-appointed administrator explain that no local bank had been willing to allow them to operate an account. Sultana and Buttigieg are the subjects of criminal proceedings filed over their involvement in a number of companies operating the Porticello – formerly Scoglit- ti, a restaurant in Valletta – and Capo Mulini at Marsaxlokk. Both restaurants are alleged to be linked to the laundering of money from oil smuggling. The pair had been the sub- jects of search warrants and were arrested last year during a large-scale police anti-smug- gling operation which led to the arraignments of ex-foot- ballers Darren Debono and Jeffrey Chetcuti, together with auditor Chris Baldacchino and fuel trader Gordon Debono. All accused are denying the charges. The administrator was ap- pointed to take stock of MS1 Catering, a holding company behind the two restaurants. The restaurants were operating on a cash-only basis, as no local bank would open an account for the company. "There is no bank account for the company in Malta… None of the banks wants to allow them to have an account with them as they are subject to FIAU investigations and [the banks] don't want problems," the administrator said, asking the court for guidance on how to handle the situation. Lawyer Stefano Filletti, ap- pearing for the accused, said the situation was partially the fault of the State, for "putting people's backs to the wall". "Now that it did all that it could to stop the restaurants' operations, it was creating ob- stacles for them to be adminis- tered," he said. The court, however, also ob- served that the administrator had not stuck to his remit and had engaged staff to assist him. This was not allowed as it sim- ply increased costs. Also testifying today were eight restaurant staff members, who recognised Buttigieg as the boss, although they didn't know who the restaurant be- longed to. The staff members would be paid by bank trans- fer from Buttigieg's company Luzzu Catering or sometimes, in cash, they said. In a previous sitting, another court-appointed expert had re- ported finding around 14,000 photos from a camera hidden in a women's bathroom on Butt- igieg's electronic devices. This morning, the Court pointed out that the photos were of people in a toilet but that no evidence had been brought to show which toi- let they were taken from. The case continues on July 19. Lawyers Stefano Filletti and Martina Cuschieri appeared for the accused. The prosecution is being led by Inspector Joseph Xerri, James Turner and Omar Caruana. They were assisted by lawyers Antoine Agius Bonnici and Cinzia Azzopardi Alaman- go from the Office of the Attor- ney General. Albert Buttigieg (left) and Florinda Sultana (right) NICOLE MEILAK REPUBBLIKA is calling for in- creased election monitoring, a fixed-term parliament, and a ban on non-essential public appoint- ments in the run-up to elections so as to avoid unfair advantage for the governing party. Repubblika's 'Fighting Cor- ruption in our Elections' doc- ument is a 22-page manifesto inspired by guidelines from the Venice Commission to counter the power of incumbency in Maltese politics. "Elections are the almost ex- clusive competence of politi- cians themselves," Repubblika President Robert Aquilina said during a press conference on Tuesday. He said that while corruption, in the form of offering mon- ey or other items to voters, is clearly prohibited by law, with fines and prison time for those caught guilty of this behaviour, no action is ever taken to regu- late the behaviour of politicians. "It is unbelievable that the Mal- tese political class, with a serious lack of maturity, seriousness and honesty, does not bring itself to stop these unacceptable practic- es," Aquilina said. In its document, Repubblika suggests stronger electoral sur- veillance through the Electoral Commission and Malta Police Force, with more resources dedicated to independent media and civil society so that they can monitor electoral campaigns. Beyond this, the Maltese elec- toral process ought to be open to independent observers that are unaffiliated from political parties, with Malta adopting all recommendations made by in- ternational electoral observers. With regards to the Elector- al Commission, Repubblika suggests that the body should be composed in a way that ensures independence from political parties, and in turn complete neutrality. In turn, appointments ought to be made through an open, competitive process based on merit. Repubblika further propose having a fixed-term parliament in order to remove the power of the incumbent party leader to freely determine the date of the general election, in turn having a strategic advantage over rival parties. In addition to this, as from the beginning of Parliament's fifth term, or as soon as an election is called, certain mechanisms should be triggered to avoid abuse of power. Among these mechanisms, Repubblika is proposing to make it illegal for government to make non-essential appoint- ments to public bodies, or to initiate selection processes for promotions or appointments to public bodies. It would also be illegal for gov- ernment to issue development permits or other related State action at a faster-than-average rate compared to any other point in the legislature, or to set aside public land for private in- terest. Repubblika suggests fixed-term elections and ban on non-essential public appointments during election year Repubblika president Robert Aquilina