Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/911593
maltatoday SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 2017 News 3 FIAU denials: investigation incomplete CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Tourism minister Konrad Mizzi, formerly an energy minister, has denied the allegation. "[I] reiterate that no bank accounts were ever opened, no transactions were ever made, and no money was ev- er received by the trust and underlying company. The audit of these structures was also published," he said in a reference to the secret Panama company Hearnville he opened in 2013. "These recycled false allegations were made in May 2017. The FIAU had issued a statement contradicting the reports made," Mizzi said. The The FIAU categorically denied the allegations, insisting there was no final report "FIAU reports are only finalised after comprehensive work, including collection and analysis of information, evaluation by the internal Financial Analysis Commit- tee, review by senior officials, and final signatures by the officials responsible for the report. This process is time-consuming, especially when it involves interna- tional cooperation." The FIAU said it won't publicise any confidential documents and said unauthorised possession and dis- closure of confidential FIAU information was a crimi- nal offence. "It will not only damage the FIAU but will also prejudice any ongoing investigations and may ex- pose FIAU officials to unnecessary safety and security risks." In May 2017, excerpts of an unfinished FIAU investi- gation were leaked, claiming Mizzi and Keith Schem- bri, the PM's chief of staff, had set up their Panama companies to receive cash from a Dubai offshore com- pany called '17 Black' owned by Bumi Armada, the op- erators of the LNG tanker in Malta. The leaked 'notes' did not point to conclusive evidence of the link. Casa was one of the MEPs forming part of the fact- finding delegation that visited Malta earlier this week. "I know that the report has been ready since at least March. Although eight months have passed since then, this report remains under lock and key," Casa said, say- ing he had verified the report's authenticity. "This is cast-iron evidence of the collapse of the rule of law and the political capture of yet another institu- tion, if ever any more evidence was still necessary." The MEP said FIAU representatives who met the EP delegation had lied about the status of this report by calling it merely a 'working document': "they know very well the report has been concluded for several months. Again, this shows how the FIAU has now been completely hijacked by the Government." Casa said that if the FIAU does not publish the report to take criminal action against Mizzi, he would take the matter into his own hands. "The fact this report had to reach me in order for its damning conclusions to be brought to light shows the extent of the decline of the rule of law under Joseph Muscat – a decline that is causing untold damage to our country. The fact Mus- cat has vehemently defended, retained and promoted Schembri and Mizzi for the past eighteen months, shows just how much he is in cahoots with them." mvella@mediatoday.com.mt Minister releases email request Ferris claimed was 'interference' FOREIGN Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela released email correspondence to LovinMal- ta.com purporting to show he did not inter- fere in a police investigation run by former police detective Jonathan Ferris. Ferris, a sacked FIAU official, claims the e-mails amounted to interference in a police investigation into a fraud case he was carry- ing out. The exchange took place in May 2016 when Abela was home affairs minister. Abela has, however, insisted he was seeking a progress update on a fraud case on behalf of a citizen, who called in to One Radio com- plaining to Abela about the police refusing to give him information on his case. "Abela responded on air that his powers were limited to asking the police how the case was progressing and that he could not demand information about the investigation itself," LovingMalta.com reported. The email correspondence proceeded in this manner: 25 May 2016 Abela's secretary Kevin Mifsud emails Ferris: "I would like you to give me an update about the case of Mr X* who was defrauded. Seeing as the case was mentioned in the media, I would like to pass on this information to the minister." 26 May 2016 Ferris replies: "Case is still be- ing investigated. It is a complex case and not just as Mr X is stating. Will update you in due course." Around half an hour later, Abela's head of customer care Raymond Grech also emails Ferris with Abela and Mifsud in copy: "We know that this case is still being investigated. All we're asking is a brief summary of what has been done so far regards this case. Whilst thanking you in anticipation, I'm looking forward to hear from you." Ferris refuses: "All I can tell you is that the case is still being investigated," Ferris said. "Should the complainant request updates re. progress on his case, he is more than wel- come to make an appointment and attend my office to discuss his queries." A few minutes later, Grech replies: "The minister has requested information about this case and not Mr X." Ferris had previously claimed the email in question was written in capital letters, although the published emails clearly show the conversation was civil and ended at this point. Ferris also said this email exchange amounted to interference and that this was the reason he asked to be transferred to the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) where he took over the role of manager of the analysis section. Ferris said Abela's information proves the minister tried to interfere in an investigation he was conducting and that he refused to comply. "These sort of things shouldn't take place and Carmelo Abela should be ashamed of himself," he said. Ferris also has said previ- ously that assistant police commissioner Ian Abdilla had urged him to comply and avoid a 'diplomatic incident' with the minister. German MEP: Give former FIAU officer protection GERMAN MEP Sven Giegold has called for former police investigator Jonathan Ferris to be granted whistleblower protection. The Green MEP said Ferris had made an important con- tribution to MEPs' fact-find- ing mission last week. "We were concerned to learn he fears for the safety of himself and his family. The leader of our delegation Ana Gomez asked the police immediately in our name to provide police protection for Ferris and his family. "Now I am shocked to learn he is still only protected dur- ing the night through one po- liceman sitting in a car while the protection during the day is only limited to infre- quent patrols. This is clearly insufficient. What else has to happen in Malta so that the government takes threats to exposed persons seriously? Does the government want to risk after a dead journalist, a dead whistleblower? I appeal to the government to protect Jonathan Ferris and his family reliably." The former Italian MP An- tonio di Pietro, who once led the 'Italy of Values' party, and was an anti-corruption pros- ecutor in the 1990s during the 'bribesville' scandal, will address a demonstration held today by the Civil Society Network in Valletta. The demonstration will also be addressed by writer Imma- nuel Mifsud, journalist Caro- line Muscat, and Italian in- vestigative journalist Marilu Mastrogiovanni. "CSN insisted on the re- moval of the Police Commis- sioner and Attorney General in view of their lack of action on corruption. Their replace- ments should enjoy the sup- port of at least two thirds of Parliament, in a spirit of con- sensus," the CSN said. The email correspondence turned out to be a request for an update on a fraud case after a citizen complained he was not being given information