Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/821961
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 10 MAY 2017 News 6 MIRIAM DALLI THE Organisation for Security and Co-Operation (OSCE) in Europe is planning the deploy- ment of a mission to assess "the pre-election environment and the preparations" for the 3 June general elections. A Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) will be deployed to Val- letta from 15 to 17 May, upon an invitation by Malta. Malta is a member of the OSCE and, in line with its commitments as a member state, it invited the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the parliamentary as- sembly and all participating states to observe the upcoming elections. Malta's invitation was extended on 2 May, a day after Prime Min- ister Joseph Muscat announced that he was dissolving parlia- ment and calling snap elections. Depending on its assessment of the political climate and the preparations underway, the NAM would then recommend whether an OSCE "election-re- lated activity for the elections" should be deployed. The NAM would also determine what "type of activity best meets the identi- fied needs". The mission is expected to re- quest meeting with a number of senior officials in Malta, in- cluding the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Electoral Commis- sion, the Constitutional Court, the Court of Appeals, the Police Headquarters, the Department of Information, the Broadcast- ing Authority, the Public Service Broadcaster as well as representa- tives of the main political parties – which would include both the Labour and Nationalist parties. The mission is also expected to hold meetings with media repre- sentatives and civil society. Ink on voting documents 'easily smudged' On Monday evening, PN leader Simon Busuttil said that he would be taking claims that the voting documents were "missing basic security features to the OSCE". Despite assurances by the Elec- toral Commission that the voting documents have "three basic se- curity features" – which have sat- isfied the Commission and party delegates – Busuttil yesterday reiterated that "the ease by which voting documents could be tam- pered with is a very worrying de- velopment". "This could affect the outcome of the electoral process," Busuttil said. He reiterated that the PN was placing the responsibility for this shortcoming squarely on the Electoral Commission and on Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Asked by MaltaToday over the security features pointed out by the Electoral Commission, Busuttil said that this was not a question of who is right and who is lying. "Even if there was an agree- ment on the document and secu- rity features, one must then make sure that those security features are actually included in the final document," he said. "Why are the documents not laminated to pro- tect against tampering? Are we asking for something out of this world when we demand that – at least – the voting document be foolproof and leave no doubt as to possible tampering in the elec- tion process?" The Labour Party has sought to quell fears of tampering with documents, pointing out that voting documents are always checked with the List of Person Entitled to Vote (OPEV). The booklet is given to all assistant electoral commissioners in poll- ing stations who would be com- paring the voters' documents to the details on the list. A copy is also given to political parties who would be monitoring the process. But the PN is now saying that the ink on the voting document can be "easily smudged", also al- leging that voting documents belonging to vulnerable people – such as the elderly and those in hospitals – could be easily tam- pered with. According to deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami, these problems were encountered even whilst police officers started handing out the voting docu- ments. Questions sent to the Electoral Commission remained unan- swered by the time this article went to print. Panama MEPs demand Muscat's presence in committee MATTHEW VELLA ALTERNATTIVA Demokratika chairperson Arnold Cassola has announced that the Green Group in the European Parliament will request an urgent debate in ple- nary, as Prime Minister Joseph Muscat prepares to address MEPs later next week. Cassola said the decision for the debate 'Panama Papers follow up: suspicion of money laundering in Malta involving several politically exposed persons', will be taken on Thursday. "The damage Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri and Brian Tonna have done to Malta's reputation is getting worse by the minute. Indeed, following the continuous revelations regarding suspected money laundering in Malta on the part of Keith Schembri and asso- ciates, making use of the Pilatus Bank the Green Group in the Eu- ropean Parliament has requested an urgent debate in plenary in the European Parliament next week," Cassola said. The Green Party chairperson also published a second letter by PANA committee Werner Langen, who last week called on Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to attend the committee and address MEPs. "Given the recent developments on the matter as regards with the possible involvement of your wife in suspected transactions related to the Panama Papers, the mem- bers of the committee have de- cided to extend the invitation to you," Langen wrote. Both Mizzi and Schembri were found to have made use of secret Panama companies in the Pan- ama Papers leak of April 2016; and new evidence presented by Opposition leader Simon Busut- til to a magistrate claims to show Schembri taking a kickback from auditor Brian Tonna, through his Pilatus Bank account, on fees paid to Tonna for the sale of Maltese citizenship. Both men deny the accusation, saying the money was payment for a €100,000 loan made back in 2012, before Labour was in power. Carmel Cacopardo, deputy chairperson of AD, said it was pertinent to remember that AD had asked the Auditor General in Malta to investigate the operation of the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) with reference to the issuance of Pilatus Bank's operating licence. The request has been submitted and duly ac- knowledged by the National Audit Office. Greens ask for emergency discussion on situation in Malta in European Parliament plenary session next week OSCE to send a 'needs assessment mission' to Malta in preparation for 3 June elections