Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/931337
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 24 JANUARY 2018 News 5 Casa 'acting like tabloid journalist' on Pilatus report, says Pullicino Orlando Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando on the warpath: the Labour candidate has accused Nationalist MEP David Casa of "destabilising" the Maltese government using his influence inside the EP MATTHEW VELLA THE chairman of Malta's sci- ence council has doubled down on accusations against Nation- alist MEP David Casa over an FIAU report he presented to the European Central Bank. Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, a former Nationalist MP who ran on the Labour ticket in the 2017 elections, said Casa was behav- ing like a "tabloid journalist" by teasing his audience for months on end with claims that he was feeding the ECB with excerpts of a report by the Financial In- telligence Analysis Unit. "His behaviour in this, and other instances is being widely regarded as an attempt at desta- bilising our democratically elected government by using his influence at a European level. The negative effect his shenani- gans are having on our coun- try's institutions is devastating," Pullicino Orlando said. Last week Casa said he gave the ECB further evidence on the private bank Pilatus, which he claimed went beyond "merely flouting" anti-money launder- ing rules. The bank has featured heavily in allegations that it hosted bank accounts for Azer- baijani oligarchs, as well as for the Prime Minister's chief-of- staff Keith Schembri. Casa had called for the withdrawal of the bank's licence through a com- plaint filed on 25 November last year. He also asked for the bank to be taken over by the ECB. But Pullicino Orlando said that any allegations of corrup- tion should be investigated by the police. "The following ques- tions arise from [Casa's] be- haviour: Why hasn't he passed these documents over to the competent authorities yet? Is Mr Casa aware of the fact that this delay is, in itself, illegal? It is a criminal offence to be in the possession of such documents. Does Mr Casa consider him- self to be above the law? Has Mr Casa verified whether or not the author of this particu- lar document was – as has been claimed - purposely drafting a document which was meant to be leaked?" Pullicino Orlando said Casa should put his "charade" to an end. "Suggesting that voicing the thoughts of many is an attempt at intimidation is ludicrous – to say the least. If Mr Casa really felt strongly about his loyalty to- wards his countrymen he would not be acting in a manner which is widely being considered to be the epitome of perfidiousness." In a reaction, Casa said the evidence of criminal activity was already in the public do- main and the complacency and complicity of the institutions re- quired a different approach. "I will release the FIAU re- port when the expert analysis is completed. Not a second before. And definitely not because I am called on by a political appointee indebted to his political masters for his lucrative taxpayer-funded position. No threats of arrest will stop me from carrying out my duty. I will publish the con- clusive FIAU report. And it will leave the Prime Minister with no option but to sack Konrad Mizzi. "Now perhaps The Chair- man of Malta Council of Sci- ence and Technology might consider at least pretending to dedicate some office hours to the role we pay him to be car- rying out." The FIAU report, which the FIAU insists is an unfinished report, allegedly shows tourism minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister's chief-of-staff Keith Schembri had taken kick- backs off the partial privatisa- tion of Enemalta and the LNG power station contract through a Dubai company. Casa has pledged to publish this report in a few weeks' time, an action which could land him in trouble since the disclo- sure of FIAU investigations is punishable with five years' im- prisonment and a fine of up to €116,468. Casa has accused Pilatus Bank of having been "conceived from the very start as an organisa- tion designed to launder money, with banking staff instructed to fabricate paper trails justifying suspicious transactions after they have been carried out." Pilatus Bank was drawn into the investigation of allegations that the Prime Minister's wife Michelle Muscat was the owner of a secret Panama company, Egrant, and that the bank had processed a $1 million trans- action into her account from Azerbaijan. Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando Nationalist MEP David Casa