Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1393937
15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 JULY 2021 OPINION SO now we have heard from FATF themselves about the three major prob- lems that have led to Malta's greylisting: tax evasion and avoidance; money laun- dering and unknown Ultimate Beneficial Owners (UBOs) of shady companies set up in Malta – all issues that people like me have been bringing up incessantly for the past five years, at least since the eruption of the Panama Papers volcano in 2016. All issues that were systematically brushed away arrogantly by Joseph Mus- cat and his cronies, like Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri and Edward Scicluna, and his yuppie bootlickers Silvio Schem- bri, Ian Borg, Rosianne Cutajar and company, with Robert Abela right in the middle of it, looking sideways and play- ing tweedle dee-tweedle dum. Not only were our remonstrations ig- nored, but the government unleashed its trolls onto us, with threats, insults and catcalls of "Get a life" or "You are just jealous" being dished out daily like pasti- zzi, for years on end. Have the Maltese police acted on is- sues that have been long pointed out by the Italian investigators? For example, the Italian police have suspicions about a certain Bruno Tucci, a shareholder of Mbt Services, set up in 1996, and Gen- ergia Ltd, set up in 2010, both based in Malta. A cocaine racket would have been operated through the company Haru Pharma Limited, based in Balzan, whose director is Sebastiano Calabrò, of the Calabrò narcotics clan in Calabria. Co- sa Nostra would be represented in Malta through Antonio Padovani from Catania who created a joint venture, operating bingo halls and slot machines in Malta. The Italian police report alleges that the Mafia clan Santapaola Ercolano operates in Malta in drugs, that the 'Ndrangheta from Calabria operates in Malta in the i-gaming industry, in particular the Te- gano clan. It alleges that the Maltese cit- izen Joseph Galea, killed on 5 February 2014, was frequently travelling to Sicily. Have the Maltese police investigated these companies and servers? Or else, another example: the Italian investigators identified a certain Gino Pennetta who was utilising the gaming website www.specialbet36s.com, which is hosted at the software house Easy World Ltd, whose address is an apartment in Charles Court, St Luke's Road, Pietà. Did the Maltese police investigate what was real- ly happening on this betting site? The Italian investigators also listened in onto a telephone conversation between a certain Paolo Rampino and Ignazio Rus- so. On 26 October 2016 Russo picked up Rampino in his Peugeot at Malta In- ternational Airport, where he had just arrived from Istanbul. During this con- versation, the Italian police could listen in on how big amounts of cash, result- ing from illegal betting online, would be transferred across borders. On investigating closer, the Italians found out that Rampino was part of the management of a company based in Malta, named Itechnogaming Ltd, which was in possession of a regular and legal gaming licence issued by the Maltese Lotteries and Gaming Authority in April 2013. This company belongs to a certain Carmelo Raspante who, apart from be- ing the father-in-law of Rampino was, according to the Italian investigators, also involved in the collection of illegal betting money in Italy, which was then transferred abroad through a company named "I-SOLUTIONS S.r.l." based in Noceto, Italy and another company, al- so named ITECHNOGAMING Ltd", but this time based in Poland. Did the Maltese police investigate this illegal international collaboration be- tween a Maltese, Italian and Polish com- pany? And now that we have been included in the greylist, does Robert Abela intend acting seriously or is he going to contin- ue in the footsteps of his crooked prede- cessor, Joseph Muscat? For example, the German government has just confirmed that it has bought for €2 millions a CD with data of about around one million people who have non declared money and investments in Du- bai. The German government has also confirmed that it is ready to put the data contained about these tax evaders on the CD at the disposal of those governments who want to curb down on tax evasion. We already know that Yorgen Fenech and Paul Apap Bologna had hidden com- panies in Dubai. I would not be surprised if cousins Ryan and Keith Schembri have them too. But does Robert Abela really mean business? Is Robert Abela going to ask the German government for the names of the Maltese tax evaders in Du- bai? Knowing that Germany, together with the US and the UK, insisted on our coun- try's greylisting, does Robert Abela really want to clean up the dirt in our coun- try and restore the good name that our country has always had until recently? Or is he going to continue wallowing in the same slime that the Muscat adminis- tration has dipped us in? The next few weeks will be enough for us to understand whether Abela is his own man or not. Prof. Arnold Cassola is an independent candidate and former secretary-general of the European Greens Arnold Cassola Will Robert be his own man or continue in Joseph's footsteps?