Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/662335
4 MIRIAM DALLI OPPOSITION leader Simon Bu- suttil has announced that he will lead a demonstration on Sunday outside the Prime Minister's of- fice to call for the resignation of energy minister Konrad Mizzi and Joseph Muscat's chief of staff, Keith Schembri. Both men were found to have used offshore companies in Pana- ma to hide their beneficial owner- ship, and then linking them up to offshore trusts in New Zealand, which enjoy zero tax on assets held by non-domiciled benefi- ciaries. Busuttil said yesterday that if the Prime Minister does not take action about the two, he would be opening himself to suspicions about his involvement. Busuttil has already called for the minister's and chief of staff 's resignation in parliament, in re- sponse to a ministerial statement by Prime Minister Joseph Mus- cat, who insists that he will only take a decision if money is found to have been deposited in the companies. Busuttil said he was inviting trade unions and civil society to join his demonstration "against corruption" and whose theme is a stark message to the prime min- ister telling him to "sack them, or leave". Busuttil has already led a dem- onstration in protest against corruption after it was revealed, weeks before the Panama Papers leaks, that Mizzi had set up an offshore company in 2015. The Opposition leader says that all contracts signed under the aegis of Konrad Mizzi, which include several privatisation projects, should now be investigated by the police. Addressing a news conference at parliament, Busuttil described the demonstration as an oppor- tunity for the public to "express its disgust and anger" at how the Prime Minister was handling the case. "Muscat has made it amply clear that he has no intention of sacking Mizzi and Schembri. Un- like Muscat, I am not ready to let the country sink with them. The anger the people were feeling against Mizzi and Schembri has now turned against Muscat," Bu- suttil added. In his opening comments, the opposition leader remarked that the Panama Papers have forced the resignation of the prime minister of Iceland. The leaked documents showed that Sigmun- dur David Gunnlaugsson and his wife had set up a company in 2007 in the British Virgin Islands through the law firm, Mossack Fonseca. The documents also suggested that he sold his half of the company to his wife for $1, on the last day of 2009, just before the implementation of a new law that would have required him as a member of Parliament to declare his ownership as a conflict of in- terest. Arguing that Mizzi was the only minister of the European Union to be listed in the Panama Papers, Busuttil accused him of causing irreparable damage to Malta's reputation. He reiterated that the leaks have revealed how Mizzi had unsuc- cessfully tried to open a bank account in Panama and then in Dubai. In June 2015 Mizzi told Mossack Fonseca he would use Hearnville as a management consultancy and brokerage firm – something which Mizzi described as having filled out a "standard category wording that was included in a template form which was part of the company acquisition process". However, Busuttil argued that a minister declaring brokerage "on- ly means committing corruption, money laundering and receiving kickbacks". "The Maltese police should in- vestigate Mizzi on attempted cor- ruption, money laundering and kickbacks," he said. In a tough reaction, Busuttil in - sisted that he "does not believe Mizzi". "I don't believe anything which Mizzi was involved in over the past three years. I don't believe any of the investigations he pre- sents," Busuttil replied, when asked about the €150 million re- quired to repair weak concrete structures at Mater Dei Hospital. He also said that if a PN MP or official turns out to be among the 59 beneficiaries with an offshore company or account, "they will have to shoulder responsibility". maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 6 APRIL 2016 News PN to hold demonstration against corruption YOUR FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY www.maltatoday.com.mt