IT-TLETTAX-IL LEĠIŻLATURA

P.L. 5604

Dokument imqiegħed fuq il-Mejda tal-Kamra tad-Deputati fis-Seduta Numru 378 tas-26 ta’ Ottubru 2020 mill-Kap tal-Oppożizzjoni.

______Raymond Scicluna Skrivan tal-Kamra

10/26/2020 Malta, l'isola dell'impunita ecco chi vuole insabbiare Ia verita su Daphne - Ia Repubblica

ABBONATI [ill

= MENU Q_ CERCA Ia Repubblica ABBONATI QUOTIDIANO [ID (i} Esteri

l\lalta, l'isola dell'impunita ecco chi v110le insabbiarc Ia Yerita su Daphne dai nostri inviati CARLO BONINI e GIULIANO FOSCHINI L 'indagine sui mandanti della giornalista uccisa e ferma, il govern a vuole aiTestare la sua fonte. Sei mesi dopa, il delitto Caruana Galizia e diventato un caso europeo

12 APRILE 2018 PUBBLICATO + Dl UN ANNO FA @ 4° MIN UTI Dl LETTURA

f

m ®

LA VALLETTA - In cima alla antica Rocca, quella da cui tuona a salve il cannone della memoria due volte al giorno, c'e chi vuole che il volto in bianco e nero di Daphne Caruana Galizia non sorrida pili. Perche c'e me1noria e 1Tie1noria. E dunque, come accade con un fantasma della cui ombra si ha urgenza di liberarsi, da settimane mani zelanti rimuovono di notte cio che mani generose ricostruiscono di giorno: !'ultima traccia ancora tangibile dell'esistenza di Daphne. II suo memorial e. Foto in bianco e nero, in un letto di fiori e candele, alla base di una scultura marmorea, epigrafe della sua vita, spezzata da un'autobomba sei mesi fa, aile 14 e 58 minuti del16 Ottobre 2017, nella campagna di Bidnija.Nella furia iconoclasta di chi cancella c'e un riflesso condizionato e un'involontaria ammissione. Che il nome della giornalista investigativa che aveva messo a nudo il Potere - politico e finanziario - dell'isola, la sua corruzione, sia un'onta al sentimento di una intera nazione. E, dunque, che quel ricordo vada cancellato con la stessa protervia che il Potere aveva riservato a Daphne da viva. Quando la additavano come una "strega" da bruciare, la trascinavano 46 volte in tribunale per diffamazione, le congelavano i conti in banca per demolirne l'ostinazione nella denuncia.

• L . w '.~ r~' ' '. •'t :- ' . https://www.repubblica.iUesteri/20 18/04/13/news/malta _l_isola_dell_impunita_ ecco_ chi_v uole_i nsabbiare _Ia _ verita _su _ daphne-1 93 713610/ 1/ 11 10/26/2020 Malta , l'isola dell'impunita ecco chi vuole insabbiare Ia verita su Daphne - Ia Repubblica

Ilinemoriale riinosso Ancora giovedl notte, in Republic Street, il corso pedonale che taglia il quadrilatero dei palazzi del Potere, scopettoni, detersivi e sacchi dell'ilninondizia hanna inghiottito per l'ennesima volta fio ri, messaggi, candele che, da sei mesi, hanno trasformato il basamento in marmo del "Great Siege Monument", la scultura che ricorda il Grande assedio dell565, in un memoriale spontaneo. Perche la giustizia maltese, che di fronte al monumento hail suo Palazzo dei tribunali, non dilnenticasse di rispondere aile uniche domande che oggi contano. Dentro e fuori l'isola di Malta. Chi ha ordinato la n1o1te di Daphne? Quali fili non dovevano pili toccare le sue inchieste? E come e stato possibile che in un Paese dell'Unione Europea una giornalista sia stata ridotta al silenzio con un'autobon1ba? Ma, ancora giovedl pon1eriggio, le foto e i fiori di Daphne sono riapparsi. Almena fino al prossimo colpo di ramazza.

https://www. repubblica.itlesteri/20 18/04/13/news/malta _l_iso la _de ll_impunita _ ecco_ chi_ vuole_ insabbiare _Ia_ verita _ su _ daphne-19371361 0/ 2/1 1 10/26/2020 Malta. l'isola dell'impunita ecco chi vuole insabbiare Ia verita su Daph ne- Ia Repubblica

Perche nella citta e nel Paese scelti dall'Unione come capitale della cultura europea peril 2018, la damnatio me1noriae e cominciata almena da febbraio. Con le parole postate sul proprio profilo Face book da Jason Micallef, presidente della Fondazione "Valletta 2018" responsabile perle celebrazioni e gli eventi messi in calendario dal Governo laburista del premier Joseph Muscat, il Grande Accusato da Daphne. E suo Grande Accusatore. «Mi oppoiTO- aveva scritto Micallef- a qualunque iniziativa voglia trasformare il Grand Siege Monument in un memoriale permanente di Daphne Caruana Galizia. Come Paese sovrano, non possia1no accettare lo svilimento di un monu1nento storico che celebra una delle pili grandi vittorie di sempre di lVIalta>>. Era quindi arrivata la risposta di Corinne Vella, una delle sorelle di Daphne («Micallef, che spende centinaia di migliaia di euro dei contribuenti in vanitosi progetti che ingmnbrano le pubbliche piazze, ha obiezioni su dei fiori deposti in Inemoria di una donna che da viva lo aveva chia1nato a rispondere della corruzione dei suoi padrini al Governo. Confonde la democrazia in azione con il rumore delle posticce parate da Corea del Nord»).

La Castilla, l'Europa, l'Fbi La sfida della me1noria in Republic Street si consu1na mentre, assediato nella Castilla, sede del Palazzo del Governo, il premier laburista Joseph Muscat, come pure gli umnini chiave del suo Gabinetto, si muovono in uno straniante copione che evidentemente ha deciso di rimuovere «il problema Daphne Caruana». Fin qui, Muscat e i suoi hanno navigato a vista. Alla giornata. E, a oggi, non siva oltre generiche indicazioni che rimandano a «un'inchiesta ancora in corso» sui movente e i mandanti di un omicidio che e e resta oggettivamente politico. Sul piano dell'immagine c'e invece un goffo tentativo di spin (un annuncio nelle ultilne 24 ore di misure triennali «per rendere pili efficiente il contrasto al riciclaggio e al gioco d'azzardo») che, nelle intenzioni del Governo, dovrebbe attutire la tempesta che si e andata addensando in Europa, Dove, in questi sei

https://www.repubblica .iUesteri/20 18/04/13/news/malta_l_isola _dell _impunita_ ecco_chi_ vuole _insabbiare _Ia _ve rita_su _daphne-19371361 0/ 3/11 10/26/2020 Malta, l'isola dell'impunita ecco chi vuole insabbiare Ia verita su Daphne - Ia Repubblica 1nesi, i fatti hanno cominciato a rendere giustizia a quello che Daphne, sola, aveva denunciato da viva.

N ell'ordine. Primo: due diverse comn1issioni di inchiesta del Parlamento europeo hanno illu1ninato i buchi e le ineffi.cienze della legislazione antiriciclaggio maltese; la pericolosita di un programma di vendita dei passaporti e dunque della cittadinanza n1altese a chiunque, oligarca russo piuttosto che sceicco del Golfo, o satrapo asiatica, possa sborsare 650mila euro; la mancanza di indipendenza del potere giudiziario rispetto all'esecutivo.

Secondo: il consiglio di Europa, con una risoluzione che sara presto sottoposta al voto, ha dubitato dell'indipendenza dell'inchiesta sui mandanti dell'assassinio e considera la possibilita di inviare sull'isola un osservatore indipendente che ne verifichi la correttezza. Come in un paese del terzo mondo.

Terzo: la Banca Centrale europea ha avviato un'inchiesta sulla Pilatus Bank, snodo, secondo Daphne, della corruzione e del riciclaggio di denaro sull'isola e su cui sarebbe transitato un milione di dollari a beneficia di Michelle Muscat, moglie del premier. Prezzo - secondo quanto ricostruito da Daphne - di relazioni apache tra il governo de La Valletta e il regilne azero. Di pili: a fine marzo, l'Fbi ha arrestato per riciclaggio (115 milioni di dollari) e frode bancaria il proprietario della Pilatus Bank, l'iraniano Ali Sadr Hasheminejad. https:llwww.repubblica .it/esteri/20 18/04/13/news/malta_ l_iso la_ dell_impunita _ ecco_ chi_ vuole _insabbiare _Ia _ verita_ su_ daphne-193 713610/ 4/11 10/26/2020 Malta. l'isola dell'impunita ecco chi vuole insabbiare Ia verita su Daphne- Ia Repubblica

Malta, uccisa Ia reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia: l'autobomba esplosa

undefined I di 1-4 < >

La giornalista e blogger Daphne Caruana Gali7-ia e stata uccisa a Bidnija. nel11sola di 11Ialta, da una bo1nba che ha fatto saltare in aria Ja sua auto, una Peugeot 108, n1entre lei era a bordo. E 1norta sui colpo. La repor ter si era appena 1nessa alla guida quando ]a deflagrazione e al·-venuta, in una Strada 110 11 fllO]to distante da casa sua. Caruana Galizia staYa indagando su scandali di coiTuzione che coinnJlgerebbero, tra gli altrL Ja n1oglie del prhno zninistro 111altese Joseph J!uscat, che sarebbe ilnplicata nel caso del Pana1na Paper. "EraFazno ne1nici- ha detto il preznier -, 111a questa e un atto barbarico. Non riposero finclu.§ non avren1o giustizia" LEG(;] L'r1RTICOLO

Gli affari opachi Joseph Muscat ha sempre negato. La storia della Pilatus «e una grande n1enzogna», dice. Come una menzogna sarebbero le opacita del progra1n1na di vendita dei passaporti e illassismo nei controlli antiriciclaggio. Conviene prenderne atto e raccogliere in proposito le parole di Eva Joly. Parlamentare europea francese, gia p1n del "affaire Elf", l'inchiesta giudiziaria che, negli anni '90, svelo per la prima volta la rete globale di corruzione che teneva e tiene insieme i paradisi off-shore, e oggi a Bruxelles vicepresidente della Commissione di inchiesta sui caso "Panama Papers", il mastodontico leak di documenti ~ https://www.repubb lica .it/esteri/20 18/04/13/news/malta _l_isola_ dell_impunita_ ecco_ chi_ vuole_ insabbiare _Ia _ verita _ su_ daphne-193713610/ 5/11 10/26/2020 Malta, I' isola delrimpunita ecco chi vuole insabbiare Ia verita su Daphne - Ia Repubblica riservati provenienti dallo studio legale Mossack Fonseca che, due anni fa, ha consentito di svelare i depositi su conti off-shore di esponenti politici e ilnprenditori delle classi dirigenti di mezzo Inondo (a quelleak aveva lavorato anche Daplme). Dice la Joly a Repubblica (la sua intervista e parte del docu1nentario "Daphne"): «A Malta regna l'ilnpunita: per il riciclaggio, per la vendita dei passaporti. E questa in un Paese dove la magistratura e le forze di polizia non sono indipendenti. Malta e diventata la porta d'Europa peril denaro sporco e il crimine organizzato».

La seconda donna "State of denial", lo chiamano. Stato di negazione. Ma a Malta, la storia di Daphne non e solo questo. In Grecia, una donna, madre come Daphne, poco pili che trentenne, e stata inseguita fino a questa mattina da un 1nandato di arresto con cui la 1nagistratura n1altese aveva strun1entahnente chiesto la sua estradizione alla Valletta dove dovrebbe rispondere dell'accusa dell'appropriazione indebita di 2 mila euro. E una russa. Si chia1na l\1aria Efimova. Ha lavorato nella filiale della Pilatus Bank di Malta. E stata l'ultima fonte di Daphne Caruana Galizia. Ela whistleblower di questa storia. Ieri, un giudice greco ha definitivamente respinto la richiesta di estradizione perche - questa la motivazione destinata a confermare l'esistenza di un caso Malta in Europa - «sull'isola non e garantita l'incolu1nita della donna». Che, dunque, stamattina lascera il carcere di Tebe dove e stata detenuta per tre settilnane dopo essersi spontanea1nente consegnata alia polizia greca.

Repubblica l'ha intervistata nel ten1po in cui, dopo aver lasciato Malta, si era nascosta sull'isola di Creta (anche la sua testilnonianza e nel documentario). «Un giorno dissi a Daphne- racconta - che temevo chela uccidessero. Lei, sorridendo, mi rispose: "E come? Con un'autobomba?". Forse avrei dovuto essere pili convincente ed e un rin1pianto che mi porto dietro dall6 ottobre del2017. Mentre c'e una cosa che sicuramente non rimpiango. Di aver deciso un giorno di sedermi davanti al mio con1puter per scrivere una mail a quella donna che non conoscevo. Daphne. A cui avrei raccontato quella verita che lei avrebbe avuto il coraggio di pubblicare».

Argomenti

malta corruzione daphne caruana galizia joseph muscat https://www.repubblica.iUesteri/20 18/04/13/news/malta_ !_isola_del l_impunita_ ecco_ chi_ vuole_ insabbiare_Ia _ verita _ su _ daphne-19371 3610/ 6/11 10/26/2020 Malta, l'isola dell'impunita ecco chi vuole insabbiare Ia verita su Daphne - Ia Repubblica

Leggianche Malta, due anni fa I'o1nieidio di Daphne Caruana: Inanca Ia verita, Ina La Valletta e nella lista nera degli affari

~1alta, no alia grazia a Fenech: Muscat si astiene. Rilasciato l'ex capo di gabinetto del pre1nier.

01nicidio Caruana, Malta diventa un caso: Ue 1nanda 1nissione sull'isola

II killer di Leece pensava a un 'gesto eclatante' all'interno dell'ospedale Fazzi dove !avorava come infermiere

Ia Repubblica

JACQUEMUS

Mytheresa

Nel1997 sono nati 7 gemelfi- guardate come sono cambiati dopo 21 anni!

Car Novels

Contenuti Sponsorizzati

Molti hanno fallito prima. E tu, riuscirai a completare Ia prova?

Hero Wars

Pulire Ia doccia con una pastiglia per lavastoviglie

Consigli e Trucchi

Contenut1 Sponsonzzati

Coronavirus, il nuovo Dpcm e l'ordinanza di Fontana: cosa cambia in 1J, Lombardia r https://www.repubblica .itlesteri/20 18/04/13/news/malta_l_isola _ dell_impunita_ ecco_chi_ vuole _insabbiare _Ia_verita _su _ daphne-19371361 0/ 7/ 11 10/26/2020 Malta, !'isola dell'impunita ecco chi vuole insabbiare Ia verita su Daphne - Ia Repubblica

II sugo perfetto ha solo 3 ingredienti Stile. it

Questi occhiali regolabili da 49 euro stanno spopolando in ltalia

DiaiVision

Prepara queste 8 torte in Coppa, ti succhierai le dita!

Aldiario.com

Contenuti Sponsori::zati

Esercizi incredibili e facili per il mal di schiena

Elcondicional.com

Questo piccolo traduttore ti permette di comunicare in 43 lingue

MUAMA Translator

Contenuti Sponsorizz:ati

L'apparato respiratorio di un 31enne ha collassato: "Carica virale altissima" Ia Repubblica

Rimedi incredibili per un capello piu forte

Elcondicionat.com

Sarete sorpresi di sapere cosa succede al vostro corpo se si mangia mango

Aldiario.com

Contenuti Sponsori::zati

II nuovo booster WiFi fa scappare spaventati i provider di internet in Malta

WiFi Booster

https://www.repubblica .iUesteri/20 18/04/13/news/malta_l_isola_d ell_impunita _ ecco_ chi_ vuole _insabbiare_Ia _veri Ia _ su _ daphne-1 93 713610/ 8/ 11 10/26/2020 Malta. l'isola dell'impunita ecco chi vuole insabbiare Ia verita su Daphne - Ia Repubblica L'auto che Rick Harrison guida a 54 anni toglie il fiato

MedicareGranny

Contenuti Sponsorizzati

Dopo tutte le polemiche, ecco cosa c'e nella scatola dei nuovi iPhone 12

Ia Repubblica

Macchie dell'eta sulla pelle? Puoi farle scomparire in un attimo con questo semplice trucco!

Consigli e Trucchi

I vigili del fuoco avvertono: non lasciate mai una bottiglia d'acqua dentro l'auto!

Consigli e Trucchi

Contenuti Sponsonzzati

Braccia ad ali di pipistreilo? Esegue questo esercizio ogni giorno per 3 minuti!

Consigli e Trucchi

Frullato magico per perdere peso di banana che vi aiutera a dimagrire

Elcondiciona I. com

Contenuti S;:>onsorizzati

Covid, il videoracconto di Filippo Santelli, positive a Nanchino: "lsolato e senza sintomi, ecco come mi stanno curando in Cina"

Ia Repubblica lncidente in via Crispi, morta una donna di 37 anni

Ia Repubb!ica

Leggianche Libia: riparte Ia produzione petrolifera, attivi anche i can1pi delJ 'Eni

Nagorno-Karabakh, nemmeno Ia tregua raggiunta dagli Stati Uniti reggtv; https://www. repubb lica.iVesteri/20 18/04/13/news/malta_l_isola_ dell_impunita_ ecco_ch i_ vuole_ insabbiare _Ia_ verita _ su _dap hne-193713610/ 9/ 11 10/26/2020 Malta. !'isola dell'impunita ecco chi vuole insabbiare Ia verita su Daphne - Ia Repubblica Phi consunti interni e autosufficicnza: si a pre il plenun1 del Partito con1unista cinese

~oq_sigli.it

TECH Le migliori offerte Amazon giorno per giorno: tecnologia a prezzi scontatissimi

Echo Dot l'altopadante int.elligente Alexa

https://www.repubblica.iUesteri/20 18/04/13/news/malta _!_isola_ dell_impunita_ ecco_c hi_ vuole _insabbiare _Ia_ verita_ su _ daphne-19371361 0/ 10 /11 10/26/2020 Malta, risola dell"impunita ecco chi vuole insabbiare Ia verita su Daphne - Ia Repubblica

Come sono diventato un essere misterioso - ""':':"----./ ' -~ - -~- .,.:, . Matteo Spin_azzo/a . t: ... :·c~ .

i~~:;.:. ~:~-'i~; ~~~l~

Promozioni Servizi editoriali

https://www.repubblica.iUesteri/2018/04/13/news/malta _!_isola_ dell_impunita_ ecco_ chi_ vuole _insabbiare _Ia _ verita _ su _ daphne-19371361 0/ 11/ 11 10/26/2020 Malle :soupcons de corruption confirmes sur des membres de !'entourage du premier ministre

•I

"PROJET DAPHNE"

Malte : soup~ons de corruption confirmes sur des membres de I'entourage du premier ministre

La journaliste assassinee Daphne Caruana Galizia enquetatt sur les liens obscurs entre « 17 Black >> une entite enregistree aux Emirats arabes unis, et des responsables politiques maltais. Le

<( Projet Daphne » conftrme ses soup<;:ons.

Par Stepher; Grey. Jacob Borg. Anne Mic'1el, Jc-an-8aotiste Chastand et Stephen Grey (Reuters) Ja(.(ll) Bor;:) (T P1E'S a' r.. 1alt;a), Anl'e l~lichel et Jean-Bapttste Cha;.tand PJblie le 09 novembre 2013 a 12h01- r··.1 •s a jo:.Jr le 09 P\Nerrbre ~o1s a 121102

A.rticle reserve aux abonnes

La soci(·tc avail etc brien•ment mcntionn(•c sur son blog par Daphne Caruana Galizia. La journalistc

maltaise HS::o cachait des praliques douleu~es de son gou;-ernement. Cette entile est utilisee par de~ responsahles politiquc;; mo.ltais" pour dcplace1' de !'Clrgcnt dep11is et z:er,.; Duh!zi' ·· , avait-c:lk ccrit sur ;;on hlog. lmit mois avant sa mort. Ellc n ·a\·ait toutcfois pas pu a Her plus loin.

Un peu plus d'ttn ;m a pres son assassinat, al01·s que l'identite des commanditaires du \~rime reste lil.\ slerieu:>e, le" Projel Daphne"· ct reseau de dix-huit medias inkrnatinnaux donl Le 1\Jondc fail partie. est en mcsurc de confirmer unc grande partie des soupt;:ons de la blogucusc anticorruption. Lc

<· Projl't Daphne >· a ete rvnstitue par l'associatk'n Forbiddt·n Stories afin de poursui\Tt: les t'nquetes des journalistes censur~!>. menaces ou assas:;in~s tlans le monde.

Apres une lon~ue enquete. nos partenaires de Reulers el du Time,.; q(Malta ont en effel clecmtverl que <· 17 Black"· cnr<:'gi:;tn:•c am: Ernirats arabt's unis (EAC). a\·ait pour but de vcrser ce qui resscmble fort <'t de:, pots-de-Yin. en marge de la t•onstrut:tion d·une nmm:!lle centrale thennique dans Ia baie de I\farsaxlokk un port de peche de l'cm:hipel mnltais.

l'n e-mail de 2015, retrum·c par le;; auluritcs maltaiscs sdon unc suurcc proche du dossier. affirme ainsi que c:cttc societe dc\·ait vc r~er jusqu·a 2 millions de dollars ~lll' lcs comptcs offshore au Panama de deux proche~ clu premier ministre de T\Ialte. ,Joseph lVinscat. son chef de cabinet. Keith Schembri. et celui qui etait alors mini:;tre de l'energie. Komad T\fizzi, nom me clepui~ ministre clu tourisme. De !'argent eseompl(~ . pc•ur lcqucl aucune trace de paiement n ·a e le rctrouvcc.

Lh·e aussi A 3-ialte, de llOUYCau.x clements dlUlS l'enqm!te sur l'assassinat de la journalisle Daphne Caruana Galizia

Appels a Ia demission

Or, selon des documents ubtenus par Reutas ainsi que de!> temoignages conwrdants '~ I\'!altt et aux EAC, « 17 Black •· Hail en realit~ detenue en tonle discretion par Yorgen Fenech. le patron du eonsmtium qui a gagnc Ia concession de 450 millions d'curos. pour construirc ccttc centrale thcrmiguc en 2014. Contartc. I\ I. Fenech a rcfusc' dC' confirmcr qu'il c'tait lc proprietaire de" 17 Blt.~c:k "· mais il a categoriquement con teste tuute malwrsation.

En lanl que minislre de r energ,ie. l\1. :\-lizt,i Hail charge de Ia Sltpervi:;ion de CE' projel. Lui aussi conlesk an>ir prent de receYoir des fonds de Ia part de·« 17 Black''·,, nn·!J n aucune connexion cmt1·c lui. son trust ou !:i!l societe~ ct toute entitt; n(tmmc;l' "17 Black .. >>. assure le porte-parole de 1\1. Mizzi. Dans un communique. 1\1. Schembri a, de son ciJte. assure qu'iln'eta.it pas implique dans le proiet de centrale. li vous reste 4-.-:--;-% de cet article a lire. La suite est reservee aux abonnes.

https ://www.lemon de .fr/projet-daphne/a rticle/20 18/1 1/09/malte-soupcons -de-corru ption-confirmes-sur -des-me mbres-de-1-emourage-d u-premier -m .. 1/2 10/26/2020 Malte : soupyons de corruption confirmes sur des membres de I" entourage du premier ministre

https ://www.lemon de .fr/pro jet-da phn e/article/20 18/11/09/ma lte-soupcons-de-corru ption-confirmes-sur-des-me mbres-de-1-entourage-d u-premier -m. . . 2/2 10/26/2020 The Times view on Malta's government: Island of Corruption I Comment I T he Times

LEACI'IG. ARTICLE · The Tilnes view on l\1alta's government: Island of Corruption

The fl.1altese PT\1 should nm hl'ad an inYC'sriga!ion into a jonrnalbt "s murder

wo things made the murder of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in a car bombing in Malta in :!017 particular!\· shncking. The first \\·as U1at the reporter, r who had been investigating allegations of official .:o1n1ption based on leaks from the Panama Papers, ,,·as brazenly assassinated in a European Union member state. Journali~ts face gro\\·ing harassment and have come under increasing attack in many parts or the "·oriel, especially in authoritarian countries such as Turke~·. Russia. China and Iran. J\1s Caruana Galizia's murder showed that reporters face risks eren in democracies \1·here the rule of law and freedom of spePch is supposed!; deeply ingrainect.IndeE'd. two more journalisls have since been murdered in EU countries.

\\-hat also made her clt'ath !>O shocking was what it subsequently

SP(J:\~OJUJl

Continue reading Get unlimited d igital access, free for one month Unlimited digital access.

Alrc<• d~ a subscriber"!

https://www.thetimes.eo.u k/article/the-tlmes-view-on-maltas-government-island-of-corruption-swqgwxc57 1/2 1012612020 The Times view on Malta's government: Island of Corruption I Comment I The Times

·-· "'--:. ort.. t,.. atlltlf"TS

Going Green The US Fund utilizes Markets Now is a Presidential artificial D.1nce to G1·cat Time Race is on. intelligence Covid Beat to Invest in

. ..

https:llwww.thetimes.eo.uk/articlelthe-tlmes-view-on-maltas-government-island-of-corruption-swqgwxc57 212 10/26/2020 Malta·s corruption is not just in the heart of government. it's the entire body I Alexander Clapp I Opinion I The Guardian GuarutanTh~. This article is more than 10 months old Malta's corruption is not just in the heart of government, it's the entire body Alexander Clapp Only now. tvvo years after Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder, is it becoming clear just how rotten the state really is

Tue 3 Dec 2019 15.52 GMT

.. -

L alta is notorious for its corruption. For decades, a pair of political machines - the Labour and Nationalist parties- have operated with impunity on the island. But in 2013 the corruption went into overdrive.

After 15 years out of power, the Labour party took office, and within months, public assets were being sold off to Azerbaijan. The new government also licensed a collection of financial laundromats masquerading as banks, just as the island became a haven for ever greater flows of dirty cash, and people shuttled their own fortunes away to offshore holdings in Panama and Dubai. One person was watching obsessively, however. Daphne Caruana Galizia was Malta's most dogged journalist. For years, her blog, Running Commentary, put these scandals on full display for everyone on the island to see, exposing the underlying rot in Malta's supposed https://www.theguardian .com/commentisfree/201 9/dec/03/malta-corruption-daphne-caruana-galizia-murder 1/4 10/26/2020 Malta's corruption is not just in the heart of government. it's the entire body I Alexander Clapp I Opmion 1 The Guardian prosperity. Caruana Galizia's courage led to her assassination in October 2017, killed by a car bomb. It put her alongside Hrant Dink in Turkey and Anna Politkovskaya in Russia- journalists murdered for exposing corruption, only this time near the heart of Europe in a state that continued to pass itself off as a success story.

For two years now almost everyone on Malta has been demanding to know who ordered Caruana Galizia's murder - though the Labour party she routinely excoriated has shown scant interest in pursuing the case. It treated her assassination as an inconvenience - why do foreigners keep asking about this? - and an opportunity: it became a chance to discredit the journalist's allegations now that she was no longer around to defend them. Visiting Valletta in early 2018, I watched as public sector workers were sent every morning to a shrine to Caruana Galizia to sweep away the previous night's assemblage of flo wers and posters in her honour: "You killed Daphne to escape jail!" signs said. "Daphne was right!" When I attempted to interview the prime minister, Joseph Muscat, his press secretary told me it could only happen on two conditions: I could not ask about financial corruption or about Caruana Galizia.

For months, the three men accused of planting and detonating the fatal car bomb would not so much as utter their names aloud to a judge. All three have pleaded not guilty. But last year one did start talking: he explained that he'd been recruited to kill Caruana Galizia by a taxi driver offering €150,000. This taxi driver, Melvin Theuma, was eventually arrested in mid-November, and when questioned, accused a prominent Maltese casino magnate, Yorgen Fenech, of hiring him to arrange the killing. Theuma was subsequently given a presidential pardon.

Fenech, meanwhile, pointed to the complicity, if not outright participation, of the highest levels of the state. He was not just a shadowy businessman - Fenech was also heavily involved in Labour's financial schemes. Shortly after taking office, Konrad Mizzi, the tourism minister ­ who had been named in the Panama Papers - and Keith Schembri, Muscat's chief of staff, had set up two Panamanian companies that had connections to a Dubai trust, which was alleged to be owned by Fenech.

Fenech has now been charged with conspiracy to murder - he has pleaded not guilty. Fenech also sought a presidential pardon but it was declined. But in the past week his revelations prompted new speculation, as he attempted to implicate Schembri as a co-conspirator in the murder plot. Schembri was questioned and then released by police; he denies all allegations against him.

The prime minister Muscat has been increasingly embattled, denying one allegation after the next. In the past month he has taken it upon himself to become Malta's police chief and national spokesman. He has handed out certain presidential pardons, while mysteriously withholding others. It was difficult enough to imagine Valletta running a credible investigation into Caruana Galizia's death using a judiciary and police force lined with Muscat's partisans. Now the game is downright rigged. Initial reports claimed that the prime minister was resigning from office. This is not strictly true: he has said he will remain in power until Labour elects a new leader in January, potentially giving him time to lay the foundations for the exoneration of anyone around him who is connected to the case. But at play is a deeper problem- something Caruana Galizia grasped more acutely than anyone. So concentrated was Labour's corruption, it is unthinkable that anyone involved doesn't possess compromising information on others in the party. Perhaps this prevents people in the party from turning on each other- or maybe it becomes a form of mutually assured destruction, with the testimony of any witness heralding the collapse of the whole cabal.

https://www.th egua rdian .com/commentisfree/20 19/dec/03/ma Ita -corruption-d aphne-ca ruana -galizia-mu rder 2/4 10/26/2020 Malta·s corruption is not just in the heart of government. it"s the entire body I Alexander Clapp I Opinion I The Guardian Where does this lead? There is little talk in Valletta- or Brussels- of actually dismantling the rogue financialisation of the island or halting the open flows of suspect capital - abetted by a porous banking structure and tax incentives that elevated foreign corporations over Maltese citizens. Brussels has still never solved how to integrate certain "small states" in the wider European project -Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Malta. They exist either as secretive finance hubs or homes of reactionary forms of rule- or, in Malta's case, a bit of both. The island now stands as a test case for whether the EU can ever successfully incorporate such a state - one that, until recently, had a robust working class - or whether these countries are bound to remain the problem children of the continent forever. And after all that Malta has endured in the past two years, it is hard to imagine a worse fate for the country than to simply revert to the same rotten and discredited two-party system of rule. The question for its citizens, once they get answers to those surrounding Caruana Galizia's murder, is what they might ever hope to put in its place . . Alexander Clapp is a journalist based in Athens

Since you're here 000 ... joining us from Malta, we have a small favour to ask. Millions are flocking to the Guardian for open, independent, quality news every day, and readers in 180 countries around the world now support us financially. We believe everyone deserves access to information that's grounded in science and truth, and analysis rooted in authority and integrity. That's why we made a different choice: to keep our reporting open for all readers, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. The Guardian has no shareholders or billionaire owner, meaning our journalism is free from bias and vested interests - this makes us different. Our editorial independence and autonomy allows us to provide fearless investigations and analysis of those with political and commercial power. We can give a voice to the oppressed and neglected, and help bring about a brighter, fairer future. Your support protects this. Supporting us means investing in Guardian journalism for tomorrow and the years ahead. The more readers funding our work, the more questions we can ask, the deeper we can dig, and the greater the impact we can have. We're determined to provide reporting that helps each of us better understand the world, and take actions that challenge, unite, and inspire change. Your support means we can keep our journalism open, so millions more have free access to the high-quality, trustworthy news they deserve. So we seek your support not simply to survive, but to grow our journalistic ambitions and sustain our model for open, independent reporting. If there were ever a time to join us, and help accelerate our growth, it is now. You have the power to support us through these challenging economic times and enable real­ world impact.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/dec/03/malta-corruption-daphne-caruana-galizia-murder ~3/4 10/26/2020 Malta's corruption is not just in the heart of government, it's the emire body 1 Alexander Clapp 1 Opinion 1 The Guardian Every contribution, however big or small, makes a difference. Support the Guardian from as little as €1 -and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

Support the Guardian ~ (Remind me in December) VISA C -·~.:.;?, •~·

Topics • Malta • Opinion • Daphne Caruana Galizia • Europe • comment Read The Guardian in print (t)@ Make sense of a chaotic world with The Guardian's vleekly news magazine. Home delivery available wherever you are.

Subscribe now Not now

Already a subscriber? Sign in to not see this again

~·I ~~~lt.1 1 Jqmrl 0

IJ ·•

I ~. •·'l"nn I , - h~ Ul'\\ \!o;Oh. . .·~

https ://www. theguardian .com/commentisfree/20 19/dec/03/malla -corruption-d aphne-caruana-galizia-mu rder 4/4 ~.. -~-

10/26/2020 How Malta went from perfect holiday destination to scandal-ridden state as journalist murder probe intensifies

:'\I·\\~\\ EB~I ;-J-.01· Tllf•. \ 1·. . \R Login

Coronavirus News Politics Sport Business Money Opinion Tech Li fe Style

How Malta \'\Tent fron1 perfect holiday destination to scandal­ ridden state as journalist 1nurder probe intensifies

A political storm is engulfing Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat

1~' · ~ick Squires 4 DECE1v1BER 2019 • 6:00AM

http s ://www. telegraph .co .u k/news/20 1 9/ 12/04/m alta-went -perfect -holiday-destination-scandal-ridden -state/ 1/1 10/26/2020 Malta Emerges as the EU's Next Problem Chi ld - DER SPIEGEL

,----.,0

Startseite > International > Europe > Malt a > Malt a Emerges as t he EU 's Next Problem Child

Corrup ion, cren el s a u (' r Malta Emerges as the Eu•s Next Problem Child

Two years after the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, Malta's vast cesspool of corruption has become impossible to ignore. The EU 's smallest member state is on the brink of failure.

Von Frank Hornig und Juan Moreno 06.12.2019, 18.09 Uhr

Michael Vella, father of late Daphne Caruana Galizia, holding a portrait of his late daughter at a protest demanding justice for her. Fo'.:o. Da"rin Zammit Luo1 1 REUTERS

"There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate. "

https://www.spiegel.de/internationaJ!eu rope/ga lizia-murder- investigation -shows-deep-corruption-in-malta-a -1300088 .html 1/13 10/26/2020 IVlalta Emerges as the EU's Next Problem Child - DER SPIEGEL Daphne Caruana Galizia on Oct. 16, 2017, in her last blog entry, posted 24 minutes before her murder.

It's tempting to ask Corinne Vella how she avoided going crazy in the last two years. It is one thing, after all, to lose your sister to a hit job-- to learn that she was murdered in cold blood by a car bomb. But it is quite another to live with the conviction that neither the police, nor the country's government nor public prosecutors seem to have much of an interest in getting to the botton1 of the crime.

Vella is sitting in the lobby of the luxurious Phoenicia Hotel in Valletta, the capital of the Mediterranean island nation of Malta. Jazz is playing in the background and the waiters wear ties, at pains to serve guests from the correct side. Vella is a serene woman, perhaps even shy. But she's here because she wants to talk about her sister and the factors that led to her death. It's the strategy she uses to avoid going crazy. "Daphne basically became my job. There isn't much else I've done in the last two years."

Vella is the sister of Malta's most famous journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia. Daphne, as everyone in the country calls her, was murdered in a targeted killing on Oct. 16, 2017. She was a blogger, and her frequently extremely well reported, occasionally biting and sometimes humiliating reports were required reading on the island. Some of her entries were read more than 400,000 times. Everyone knew Daphne, many were afraid of her -- and not a few hated her.

"When Daphne was killed, people wrote on social media that the witch had finally got what she deserved," says Vella. Her family closed ranks after the murder and resolved to do everything in their power to ensure that the murderer would not go unpunished. Aunts, nieces, sons: They all protested at government agencies, got European institutions involved and spoke at journalism conferences.

The investigation, meanwhile, proceeded only sluggishly. Police arrested three suspects, ex-convicts who officials felt

https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/galizia-murder -investigation-shows-deep-corruption-in-malta-a -1300088.html 2/13 10/26/2020 lvlalta Emerges as the EU's Next Problem Child - DER SPIEGEL could have been responsible because of their criminal records and because of clues that seemed to point in their direction, but there was no obvious motive. Why should these men kill a journalist? Caruana Galizia never wrote a word about them. Who really wanted the prominent journalist dead?

Moving Quickly

Now, a bit more than two years after the attack, things have suddenly begun moving quickly. Two weeks ago, Yorgen Fenech, a businessman and a member of one of Malta1S wealthiest families, was arrested on his yacht-- apparently just as the multimillionaire was preparing to leave the island. He has since been charged with accessory to murder. Despite incriminating witness testimony, Fenech continues to deny any wrongdoing. He has, however, accused a me1nber of the Maltese government of being involved in the murder: Keith Schembri, chief of staff to the countris prime minister.

Schembri resigned last week, despite insisting he is innocent. But then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat also announced his intention to step down in January. Opposition politicians in parliament demanded that he not wait so long and vacate his office immediately. Meanwhile, demonstrators pelted Muscat with eggs.

11 It has been the two most chaotic weeks in Malta1s recent

history, II says Corinne Vella, adding that she has spent aln1ost the entirety of the last few days on her mobile phone because of the torrent of news. For the first time, she now has the feeling that she may ultimately learn who killed her sister.

https://www.spiegel.de/inte rnation a lieu rope/galizia-murder -investigation-shows-deep-corruption-in-malta-a -1300088 .html 3/13 10/26/2020 lvlalta Emerges as the EU's Next Problem Child - DER SPIEGEL

Daphne Caruana Galizia's sister, Corinne Vella -cto: Gi::r;raico M<:-raviglla/ I DER

Malta, the European Union's sn1allest member state, generally stays out of the headlines. Two-and-a-half years ago, DER SPIEGEL and other European media outlets involved with European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) which revealed how German companies were able to save on taxes by establishing themselves on the island. Beyond that, not much tends to be written about the country and its 475,000 residents.

Now, though, dubious links between Maltese business leaders, politicians and organized crime have become visible, and it increasingly looks as though Malta operates by a different rule book than the rest of the EU. The separation of powers in the country appears to be largely non-existent, with police doing the bidding of politicians and the anti-money-laundering agency joining the judiciary in turning its back all too often on malfeasance, instead of investigating, prosecuting and punishing criminal behavior.

Alanned, the European Parlian1ent sent a delegation to Malta a few days ago, with the European Commission in Brussels warning the country's governn1ent to refrain from exerting political influence on the investigation. The murder of Caruana Galizia, it would seem, is no longer just a problem for Maltese politics. It is now emerging as an acute threat to European values, the rule of law, the freedom of the press and a rules-based market economy. Ultimately, it is about how many banana republics the EU can tolerate within its ranks.

An Economic Miracle?

EU membership has made some Maltese fabulously rich. Buildings are going up everywhere, real estate prices have been rising for years, there are a conspicuous number of https ://www.spiegel .de/internation al/europe/galizia-murder -investigation -shows-deep-corruption-in-rna lta-a-1 300088 .html 4/13 10/26/2020 Malta Emerges as the EU's Next Problem Child - DER SPIEGEL German luxury cars on the streets, and in the country's 1nost famous shopping boulevard, Republic Street, there is no shortage of jewelers. The luxury brand Rolex also has a shop there.

A poster of Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat Fc•to; Gugl,e.rno M::mgJaP"II'?/ ;:-EU .,. E~S

It is nothing short of an economic miracle. Following the financial crisis, Malta "has been one of the fastest growing countries in the EU," the International Monetary Fund wrote in February. "Malta is benefiting from a flourishing economic climate," wrote the Council of Europe. And the European Cmn1nission, the EU executive, likewise took note of the island's economic output, writing that key indicators such as gross domestic product, employment rate and the budget surplus had all been growing for years.

From afar, in fact, the country looks a lot like a 1nodel student. Annual growth rates of between 6 and 7 percent? Not the kind of thing you tend to see elsewhere in Europe.

Given those economic foundations, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who has been in office since 2013, likely didn't imagine his tenure at the top would be ending anytime soon. Under his leadership, online casinos, financial service providers and real estate developers took over the island, frequently unencumbered by particularly strict regulations or https: //~~oww. spiege l.de/international/europe/galizia-murder -investigation -shows-deep-corruption-in-rna Ita-a -1300088.html 5/13 10/26/2020 lvl alta Emerges as the EU's Next Problem Child - DER SPIEGEL overzealous government officials. Because many residents of Malta benefited from the situation, the 45-year-old prime minister has been popular.

Even the Panama Papers scandal, which pulled back the veil on tax dodgers around the world in 2016, did nothing to harm Muscat and his allies. In other countries, leading politicians were forced to resign due to their connections to the law firm Mossack Fonseca. But in Malta, it was just business as usual, as though nothing had happened at all.

Chief of Staff Schembri and Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi remained in office, despite owning offshore companies in Panama that had money trails apparently leading to corrupt business deals. Official inquests? Investigatory committees? In Valletta, where dabbling in business in addition to holding political office isn't generally frowned upon, none of that took place.

But there was one woman who disturbed the peace. Daphne Caruana Galizia took aim almost weekly at Muscat and his govermnent in her blog "Running Commentary." Sometimes she would rely on insinuations, but at others, she published hard facts. On the day after her murder, Muscat told Christiane Amanpour on CNN that Galizia was "a very harsh critic of mine. I think the harshest I ever had."

A Victim of Corruption

The journalist died shortly before 3 p.m. on a narrow road in the northern part of the island, just a few hundred meters from her home. She was driving a Peugeot when the bomb exploded. Her son Matthew was at home when it happened, and he heard the detonation. He ran out into the street and saw the destroyed vehicle. There was nothing he could do except stand by and watch as his mother burned.

https:ffwww. spiegel.definternationalfeuropefgalizia-murder -investigation -shows-deep-corruption-in-malta-a -1 300088 .html 6f13 10/2612020 Malta Emerges as the EU's Next Problem Child - DER SPIEGEL

Political activist and blogger Manuel Delia fc: c·anm3:co Ma<::v·g:i?/ !)ER c.;. ~:;Ei_

Her family has since become convinced that Caruana Galizia was a victim of the corruption that is widespread in the country, as the European Commission noted in a February report. The document doesn't pull any punches regarding the sleaze that the booming econon1y has brought to the island, including "a large number" of foreign banks and insurance companies that are registered in Malta, yet "serve almost exclusively foreign customers." The same holds true, the report continues, for online casinos, which make up around 11 percent of the country's economic output. Furthermore, the report notes, Malta is seeking to position itself as a leading center for cryptocurrencies.

Bank accounts, casinos and cryptocurrencies: Hot-shot financial investors have apparently chosen Malta as their island of choice. In the fight against money laundering, which is widespread in these sectors, there have been serious shortcomings, according to the authors of the European Commission report. "Sanctions," they wrote, "are rarely imposed." Two years ago, according to the report, Malta inspected 22 banks and found fully 21 infringements. Yet "only two fines and one written warning were issued." There have been "improvements" made in the battle against money laundering, but real results have been few and far between.

Part of the pro ble1n is a shortage of personnel in the police unit responsible for investigating white-collar crime. Beyond that, though, politicians all-too-frequently interfere with the

https:f/www.spiegel.de/internationalleurope/galizia-murder -investigation -shows-deep-corruption-in-malta-a-1300088 .html 7/13 10/2612020 IV! alta Emerges as the EU's Next Problem Child - DER SPIEGEL judiciary and the police -- such as when the prime minister suddenly replaces the chief of police. That happened fully five times during just the first three years of Muscat's tenure. He has also replaced judges and public prosecutors at his own discretion and he personally appointed the members of the Permanent Commission against Corruption (PCAC), which casts doubt on the body's independence.

It doesn't really matter all that n1uch what the PCAC does, though, because the Justice Ministry almost never passes its reports along to the police. In the last 10 years, it has only done so on a single occasion.

'A Fantastic Business'

Recently, opposition to this distasteful blending of government, judiciary, police and business has grown louder. And Manuel Delia is one of those who has turned up the volume. A former politician himself, Delia was long active with the conservative Nationalist Party before becoming a blogger. Today, he is something like Caruana Galizia's successor. On Tuesday of this week, he could be found in front of the Maltese police headquarters with a group of demonstrators chanting: "Mafia! Mafia! Mafia! " Behind the gates were black-clad police officers doing their best to smile.

A few months before her death, Caruana Galizia reposted an entry written by Manuel Delia and wrote that she couldn't have expressed it better herself. As a result, Delia immediately became famous in the country. "When her voice disappeared, I had the impression that I had to take over her role," Delia says.

A few weeks ago, he and two co-authors presented their book, "Murder on the Malta Express," a detailed account of corruption in Malta. They write: "Gangsters and their smooth­ talking lawyers, fixers and PR truth-twisters are using crooked microstates to wash their ill-gotten gains from Angola to Azerbaijan so that their money ends up in London, Miami,

https:ffwww.spiegel.de/international/europefgalizia-rnurder -investigation -shows-deep-corruption-in-malta-a-1300088 .html 10126/2020 lvlalta Emerges as the EU's Next Problem Child- DER SP IEGEL Rome or New York. 11 Dirty money, the authors write, is eroding democracy and the rule of law.

Essentially, it is always the same trick, he says. And it is always the same question behind it: How can a small country turn its sovereignty into money? What can a country sell that no company can offer? Passports, says Delia, 11 a fantastic business. 11

The sale of passports to wealthy clients has become one of the countri s most important sources of income, and it is estimated that Malta has thus far earned 2.5 billion euros from the practice since Muscat approved the sale of passports just a few months after he entered office in 2013. His predecessor was resolutely opposed to legalizing such sales. The buyers are frequently Russian oligarchs, Arab sheikhs or Chinese businessmen who are eager to attain the advantages of EU citizenship for themselves and their families without attracting too n1uch attention.

'They Fucking Hate Each Other'

lt1s not particularly easy to speak with the Maltese about politics. The political camps in the country, which spent 150 years as a British colony, are deeply divided: Either you are a supporter of the Labour Party or of the Nationalist Party. It is similar to sports fandom, with the same team being supported by a family through generations. The politicians you support are fundamentally in the right and are to be defended against any and all attacks. Accordingly, following a flurry of arrests and increasingly outlandish accusations, a group of Labour supporters gathered in front of party headquarters on Monday to demonstrate solidarity.

There are, of course, advantages to the system: If you have a problem with the building inspection agency or if you have a ne 1er-do-well nephew who needs a job with a public utility, all you have to do is call up your local party official. The island isn 1t large. Connections can be used to solve almost any problem.

https:/lwww.spiegel.de/internation alleurope/galizia-murder -investigation-shows-deep-corruption-in-malta-a -1300088 .html 9/13 10/26/2020 Malta Emerges as the EU's Next Problem Child - DER SPIEGEL

The article you are reading originally appeared in German in issue 50/2019 (December 6th, 2019) of DER SPIEGEL.

Frequently Asked Questions: Everything You Need to Know about DER SPIEGEL

Six Decades of Quality Journalism: The History of DER Futo CEF s:::n:G~L SPIEGEL

SPIEGEL Rights, Reprints and other Usages

"The two sides, Labour and Nationalist, are both stubborn. They fucking hate each other,'' says Lizzie Eldridge, a 54-year­ old Scottish woman who has been living in Malta for the last 12 years, pursuing acting and teaching English. Not too long ago, she began participating in the protests. "Malta can drive you crazy of you know what's going on," she says. All the cafes in the center where the tourists hang out, she says, are owned by politicians' lackeys. She points to the crowded outdoor terrace of a restaurant next to the parliament. "It belongs to the prime minister's bodyguard," she says.

Eldridge is happy that the world is now taking a closer look at Malta, but she doubts that the Maltese are particularly pleased. Those who dodge taxes here, whether a common citizen or a politician, are considered smart and not necessarily criminal.

When the delegation from the European Parlian1ent arrived in Malta in the middle of this week, the parliamentarians wanted to learn how the investigation was proceeding. They had meetings with Muscat, with state prosecutors and with those

https :1/vo.rww.spiegel.delinternation al/europe/ga lizia-rnuroer- investigation -shows-oeep-carruption-in-ma Ita-a -1 300088 .html 10/26/2020 lvlalta Emerges as the EU's Next Problem Child - DER SPIEGEL engaged directly in the investigation. But the situation remains murky.

EU Dissatisfaction

Yorgen Fenech, an investor in real estate, casinos and a controversial natural gas facility, has been behind bars for a week, and there are indications that he was in contact with Chief of Staff Schembri. Schembri was also arrested and interrogated before ultimately being released. A taxi driver, who claims to be an intermediary in the murder plot, testified that Fenech had contracted the hit and was the "mastermind" behind the attack.

Shortly after the arrest of his chief of staff, Muscat gathered the parliamentarians from his party for a confidence vote and they assured the prime minister, allegedly unanimously, that they continued to support him. And since they were all together, they used the opportunity to reinstate the economics minister, who had "suspended" himself just a short time before in a legally dubious move. He also testified that he had nothing to do with the murder. Caruana Galizia had also written about him, detailing his alleged visit to a brothel during a visit to Germany, which he denies.

The EU delegation spent two days in Malta, but they seemed anything but satisfied. For Sven Giegold of Gern1anis Green Party, it was his fifth crisis visit to the country. "I believe there is a desire to clear up the murder, 11 he says, "but when it comes to n1oney laundering and corruption, I don 1t see any progress. 11

"Just like in every tax haven, 11 he continues, external pressure must be applied because there is no interest internally in changing anything. "Ultimately, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has to step in. 11 The Green politician would like to see rule-of-law proceedings initiated against Malta, a step that could ultimately lead to a suspension of certain EU voting rights. "We 1re talking about the EU 1s smallest member state with fewer residents than the city of Hannover. If von der

https ://www.spiegel.de/internation al/europe/galizia-murder -investigation-shows-oeep-corruption-in-ma Ita -a -1300088 .html 11113 10/26/2020 Malta Emerges as the EU's Next Problem Child - DER SPIEGEL Leyen doesn't have the courage to take steps against Malta, then you have to wonder against whom she would be willing to take such steps." 5

Feedback

ANZEIGE ANZEIGE ANZEIGE

Mytheresa Mansion Global News Gadget JACQUEMUS Barack and This Watch Michelle Obama surprises the whole Reportedly Close country. T he price?

Malta Mafia European Union

• Malta Leaks: Playing the Shell Game in the Mediterranean

https :1/v.'WW.spiegel.de/internation al/europe/galizia-murder -investigation-shows-oeep-corruption-in-malta-a -1300088 .html 12/1 3 10/26/2020 Malta Emerges as the EU's Next Problem Child - DER SPIEGEL

!: 7[ G:

t:.ba

lmpr:2SSU!i! Daten3chutz Nutzungsbedingungen Kontakt Hilfe

Fa.::ebook Tvvi:ter Wo Ste uns noch folgeP k6'1nen

https ://www.s piegel.de/internation a lieu rope/galizia-murde r -investigation-shows-deep-corru ption-in-ma lta-a-1 300088. html 13/13 1012612020 Maltese scanda l puts Europe's center left in a bind- POLITICO

Advertisement

Monday. Octo:>er 26. 2020 Evems v More Info v

POLITICO REGISTER S ~it4 !. OlllU

Socialists & Democrats group has been cautious in its approach.

BY MA"iA DE LA BAUME

December 7, 2019 110:50 am

X

https:llwww.politico.eularticlelmaltese-scandal-puts-europes-cemer-left-in-a-bindl 1113 10/26/2020 Maltese scandal puts Europe's center left in a bind- POLITICO Is Malta on track to be the EU's next Hungary or Poland? It depends \vho you ask.

-rn the European Parliament. the conservative European People's Party (EPP). Renew Europe and the Greens say the investigation into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has revealed clear evidence that the center-left Maltese gO\·ernment has a corruption problem. They argue Prime Minister . er ... ~t.:;c·,'t must step down now, rather than \Vaiting until January.

They also \vant the European Commission to take Malta to task for backsliding on the rule of law,

including, if necessary, by using Article 7- the EU's so-called r;uclc,L c p!: ... t 1 ... when a country is considered at risk of breaching the bloc's core values.

Advertisement

For the Socialists & Democrats, of which Muscat's Labour Party is a member, things are more complicated.

There is deep unease in the group about the _lti.i.. 'li')., in f\·1<:Jta , where the investigation into Caruana Galizia's murder revealed close connections between suspects in the case and the prime minister's top team.

6 Article 7 could lead to the 111ost serious political sanction the bloc can impose on a n1en1ber country: the suspension of the right to vote on EU decisions.

But many S&D MEPs have been 'ivary of making strong statements and have not openly condemned Muscat, a regular attendee at the pre-European Council summit meetings organised by the Party of European Socialists.

They argue there is as yet no evidence for the EU to determine - as required to launch an Article 7 procedure - that there are ''systemic threats to the rule of law" in Malta, unlike in Poland or Hungary, which have bad the disciplinary process started against them.

"We take the case of Malta very seriously,'' said Sylvie Guillaume, a senior French MEP from the S&D group and a member of the Parliament's Justice and Civil Liberties committee. "But I don't really see right now whether we are in a political system that is dominated by the Mafia or if we are in something else."

X

https://WVIrw.politico.eu/article/maltese-scandal-puts-europes-cemer-left-in-a-bind/ 2/13 10/26/2020 lv1aliese scandal puts Europe's center left in a bind - POLITICO

''Everybody vv·ould have a lot to lose if \Ve trigger Article 7 without it being adapted to the [circumstances of the] country." Guillaume added.

A.. Policemen stand in front of the parliament of Malta in Valletta on December 2 2019. In the European Parliament, the EPP, Renew Eumpe and the Greens say tl1e investigation into tile murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has revealed clear evidence tllat the center-left r·,1altese government has a corruption problem 1 Andreas SolaroiAFP via Getty Images

The S&D is set to discuss the issue in group meetings next \•.reek.

Caruana Galizia, a prominent journalist and blogger, investigated corruption in the highest echelons of Maltese government and society. She \vas killed in October 2017 after a car bomb detonated outside her home.

The investigation into her death has picked up pace in the past weeks, with a prominent local businessman arrested and charged with complicity in the murder, and Muscat's chief of staff, Keith Schembri, and government minister Konrad Mizzi stepping down. With pressure on Muscat to quit, he announced he would resign as head of the Labour Party on January 12 so the party can choose a new leader and prime minister, vvhich will take about a month. X

https://www.politico.eu/article/maltese-scandal-puts-europes-center-left-in-a-bind/ 3/13 10/26/2020 Maltese scandal puts Europe's center left in a bind- POLITICO The scandal has not only discredited Muscat's Labour Party (which still supports him). but by extension the S&D, which is home to four Maltese MEPs, including Miriam Dalli. \vhose name \Vas circulated as a possible replacement for Muscat.

The day tvluscat announced his resignation, Dalli vnote on her Facebook page: "It is difficult to see seven years of excellent work for the good of our country end this way.''

Advertisement

She has since said ~ ., .· , s':" , to be the next party leader and prime minister. The frontrunner to get the job is now deputy PM. and health minister. ....s, e~~· .::;;:; .

Cautious approach

\Vhen the Parliament agreed to send a group of MEPs to Malta earlier this week to assess the situation, some socialists complained the visit was organized too quickly.

In an email seen by POLITICO, German S&D MEP Birgit Sippel asked for an ''in-depth'' debate ''in order to have time to prepare a solid programme" and ·'avoid any interference with the ongoing investigations.··

'" The country's socialists argue the situation in Malta is not at the Article 7 stage yet. In private, they admit l\lfuscat should step dovvn immediately but say any corruption has not containinated the country's institutions.

''What the socialists are trying to do is what the EPP is trying to do with Fidesz: deflect attention from the issues, delay. postpone." said one member of the EPP, referring to the EPP's decision to suspend rather than eject Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party from their group ,., ~-:..:~::· t:1is. )·:: .... :·. "It's painful, we arrive at the point when there's no way back.''

Sippel, who went on the trip to Malta. sent out a statement a day after she came back in which she did not publicly condemn Muscat but described the situation as "very delicate," and said there was a need for ''independent and non-politicized information." She added that the police and judicial authorities must "finish their job so that the whole truth comes out."

X

https://www.politico.eu/article/maltese-scandal-puts-europes-center-left-in-a-bind/ 4/13 10/26/2020 Maltese scandal puts Europe's center left in a bind - POLITICO

The EPP and other groups want more to be done - \Vhich includes examining if Article 7 needs to be launched against Malta. despite concerns the procedure is flawed.

The new Commission president. Ursula von der Leyen, has put the rule of law high on her agenda and proposed to potentially replace Article 7 with a mechanism that has "an EU-·wide scope" and ''objective annual reporting by the Commission.''

Article 7 could lead to the most serious political sanction the bloc can impose on a member country: the suspension of the right to vote on EU decisions.

It was triggered for the first time by the Commission in 2017 against Poland, over concerns about government influence on the judiciary. One year later. Parliament voted to take the same step against Orban's government over concerns including over freedom of expression, academic freedom and the rights of minorities and refugees.

() · ·'The investigation is advancing. There is no need to teed n1istrust in the institutions, as long as they are working:·- a Parliament official

"If von der Leyen does not initiate rule ofla\v proceedings in this situation, when will she?'' said Sven Giegold, a German MEP who also participated in the MEP mission to Malta. ''Preparations must no\v be made for Article 7 proceedings against Malta.''

J\dvertisement

But the socialists argue the situation in Malta is not at that stage yet. In private, they admit Muscat should step down immediately but say any corruption has not contaminated the country's institutions.

''The investigation is advancing. There is no need to feed mistrust in the institutions, as long as they are working." one Parliament official said. "The truth must come out, but if you politicize it too much. vou undermine the police investigation." X

https ://www. politico .eu/article/ma ltese-scandal-puts-eu ropes-center -left-in-a -bind/ 5/13 10/26/2020 Maltese scandal puts Europe's center left in a bind - POLITICO ''\Ve are not in a context of systemic threat, where like Poland and Hungary. laws have been changed, and freedoms undermined," the official added.

Also On POLITICO

Big trouble in little Malta

By f\.1a'ia de La Baume

Malta scandal reverberates in the European Parliament

By MaYa de La Baume

Most Read Articles

1. Italy adopts new restrictions as coronavirus cases surge OCTOBER 25, 2020 I 3:14 PM

2. Macron steps up fight against radical Islam (and his critics) OCTOBER 21, 2020 I 4:59AM

3. Sweden's hands-off approach to local Jock down OCTOBER 24, 2020 I 10:00 AM

4. Lukashenko faces Belarusian opposition ultimatum OCTOBER 25. 2020 111:05 AM

5. QAnon goes European OCTOBER 23, 2020 I 11:02 AM

Next up

X 9 https://www.politico.eu/articlefmaltese-scandai-puts-europes-cenier-left-in-a-bind/ 6/13 10/26/2020 Maltese scandal puts Europe's center left in a bind- POLITICO

Spain's judiciary in the dock

OCTOBER 26.2020 14:44 AM

By Guy Hedgecoe

X ~ https://www.politico.eu/article/maltese-scandal-puts-europes-center-left-in-a-bind/ 7/13 10/26/2020 Maltese scandal puts Europe's center left in a bind- POLITICO

Portugal's Socialists lose absolute majority in Azores regional election

OCTOBER 26. 2020 1 1:31 AM

By Paul Ames

yX https ://www. politico .eu/a rtic Ieima ltese-scandal-puts-eu ropes-center -left- in-a-bind/ 8/13 10/26/2020 lv'laltese scanda l puts Europe's center left in a bind - POLITICO

Conservatives \Vin Lithuania election: preliminary results

OCTOBER 26. 2020 I 1 :24 AM

By Charlie Duxbury

https://www.politico.eu/article/maltese-scandal-puts-europes-cemer-left-in-a-bind/ 9/13 10/26/2020 .Maltese scandal puts Europe's center left in a bind- POLIT ICO

\iVhite House's top ranks hit with new round of coronavirus cases

OCTOBER 25. 2020 I 12:1 9 PM

By Anita Kumar

Related Tags

Related Countri e ~

Related People

https:/IWVIrw.poli tico.eu/article/maltese-scandal-puts-europes-cemer-left-in-a-bind/ 10/1 3 1Q/26/2020 Maltese scandal puts Europe's center left in a bind- POLITICO POLITICO's v/eekly nevv·sletter on campaigning, lobbying and political influence in the U.K.

I'. ' ")" , .l ' •)

,. ... ~~ '-l ... ,._•'( !1 •.. " . . 1 \. - j . : (; Ji •• 'j •nt r -·

, ...... r I " 1"I ·• - - .- \.- ~

https://www.politico.eu/article/maltese-scandal-puts-europes-cemer-left-in-a-bind/ 11/13 10/26/2020 IVla ltese scandal puts Europe's center left in a bind - POLITICO

•·

T

l f' '.l

·,J ' t . ! "' .·..-f"..t. - .l • - 1 l r

I ' . - . 1 X

https://www.politico.eu/article/maltese-scandal-puts-europes-cemer-left-in-a-bind/ 12/13 10/26/2020 Maltese scandal puts Europe's center left in a bind - POLITICO

POLITICO

X

https://www.politico.eu/article/maltese-scandal-puts-europes-center-left-in-a-bind/ 13/13 10/26/2020 Malta murder case throws spotlight on corruption in Europe I Financial Times

lVlalta murder case throws spotlight on corruption in Europe

t'>lews features and analysis from Financial Times reporters around the world. FT

News in Focus is produced by Fiona Symon.

Allegations of high-level corruption have convulsed the .Mediterranean island state of lVIalta and shocked the rest of Europe. Public anger has been unleashed by clrmnatie recent develop1nents in the investigation into the killing of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in a car bmnb attack in October 2017. Ben Hall discusses the vvider repercussions of the case vl'ith Josephine Cun1bo and .l\t1ichael Peel.

Contributors: Ben Hall, Europe editor_. Josephine Cumbo .. pensions correspondent, and _1.~1ichael Peel, EU diplomatic correspondent. Producer: Fiona Symon

For infonnation regarding your data privacy, ·visit acast.com/privacy

A transcript for this podcast is currently unavailable, view our accessibility guide.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2020. All rights reserved.

https://www.ft .com/content!5686bf43-8119-496a-bc2f-4bc03e1 f3904 r1/2 10/26/2020 Malta murder case throws spotlight on corruption in Europe I Financial Times

https://www.ft.com/content/5686bf43-8119-496a-bc2f-4bc03e 1f3904 2/2 10/26/2020 Inside the corruption allegations plaguing Malia - 60 Minutes -CBS News

CBS News ces EV{>n!OQ Nt'WS CBS ThiS Morning CTM Saturday I .:.e Hours 60 MinutC'iS Sunday Morning Face The NatiOn CBSN Originals

f

INSIDE T ECORRUPTION AlLEGATIONS PlAGUING MAlTA RECENTSEGM The smaJJest nation in the European Union is earning an unsa-vory Joej the c z-eputation, Tll'ith a se1·tes ofscandals involving allegations of bribery; shm aonyism and money laundering. pres

AUG 16 JON WERTHEIM The h1te; .., .... __ , ...... _____ .... ______,, __ ,,_____ ,,,.. , ...., ______...., ...... _,______Pres cut~

''601 preF BidE Elec

Fauc accc cant and

Coil. pass cant The fran Editor's Note: In ;;oJB. 60 Mi:mtes nshed Malta, a tiny nation at the soml1er:1 edge ofEurope that found itself at the center ofan intemalional firestonn. The coumry had wirnessed the bwtal ca bombing ofits most prominent journalist, Daphne Caw ana Galizia, as she dmve hom her home not far from the counuy's capital, van etta in 2017. She was lawHrn simply as "Daphne,' and she'd spent years chroniciing conuption at rl1e highest leFel of Maltese goFel·nment and society on heT widelj'·read blog, ·~Running Commentary··

Her murder sparked inter:1arional outrage, and in t'le ensuing months, fellowjo'.lrnallsts around the world picked up where Daphne had left off They connected the dots Daphne had started plotting out in her repoTting- re~'ealing a we.? ofkickbacks, secret barJ( accounts and shady contracts that allegedly implicated well-connected Maltese businessmen and senior-level gov-ernment officials, including rap advisors to the country's Prime Ministe1; Joseph Muscat. Ifrhe perpetrarors ofDaphne's murder had hoped to silence he1; the plan had clearly backfired. And _vet. in spHe ofthe intematlonal c>i:tcrp and a ca,·npaign from Daphne's berea Fed family. GET THE NEWSL fo r more than two years. Maha s investig.-~tion into her death seemed all bm stalled. Get :::-le bes: of 60 H:.r.me: Although three low-level criminals were arrested for planting the bomb that took her Jjje, yo'.lr i:1bm:. investigators made Jirrle progress pinpointing who actually o::dered the kiWng The ente' your email go~'ernment M'aS accused of dTagging its feet in rhe inquiry

b·: SJgmng ut. vou agree tc ttw CBS l!·rm:~ o'l Then. i:1 December, an apparez1t break in the case: Yorgen Fenech, one o: Ule richest people !!ai;: ;:-rri!:tr:-.e:-~ rn ou· ~nvn::: r;,O~f;. in Malta and a tycoon at the ce.1ter ofsome of the mosr incendiary corn.:prion allegations. tt·as aoorehended as he tried to flee Mc:l~ese waters in his luxury yacht. He has smce !Jee:1 Manage Scripts ·ha:ged wirh co:npliciry i1: rhe bon:bmg. and pleaded not gt!ilty https ://www.cbs news .com/news/inside-th e-corruption-allegations -p lagui ng-m alta-60-ml nutes-2020-08 -16/ 1/8 '""""""

10/26/2020 Inside the corruption allegations plaguing Malta - 60 Minutes -CBS News Maltese politics descencied :;:to chaos a5 we-'1. ';he Prime ,"\.!mister stepped dor·,-n am:d questions over his reLitfo_'"!ship to Fe!:ech .;nd .'1 fir.::stcn~z OFer his handling ofDaplu:e's murder case. Muscat's cl11el of staff Keith s~"'hembri - an offidal whom Daphne reponed on estensiFely and who has been the focal powt ofcon upUon accusatwns - Jefr too. Schembri has ;wt ~1een cha;ged in con.necrion wirh the murder and denies any wwngdoing.

The:zlat9 this week. anotjJer bombshell. former Prime Minister Mcscat himselfH•as mteniewed by Maltese pL"hce i:z connection with their ilwestigation into Daphne s murder: Muscat wa5 reportedly questioned about allegations made by the chief5uspect, Yorgen Fenech that they had inappropTiatel~· d1:>cussed key details c>ftlle case arhiJe Muscat was stili in office. In a state:nent J"ejeased af

Warch 60 M1:mce s Malt.'l repl~rt beloh~

BeforE L1e Coronavirus pandemic ravaged the world and battered econo:11:es, Malta, the smc:.llest country :n the E·uo?ear, Union. was punching above its weight As we first reported in 2018. C'1iS r1ere blip in the Jvlediterranean was l1ome to one of the EU's fastest-growing economies, priding itself on this surge and its plucky personality. But along with old charms and new construction, l'·1alta vvas earning a reputation for rampant corruption and dubious dealings. And then there was the m2Jter of the assassination of a jourmJist, Daphne Caruana Galizia, i·Vhose revelatio:1s em a linle too close to the heart of power.

Malta sits as a sun-dappled speck in the Mediterranean, three small islands a short ferry ride from Sicily and not much farther w Libya, the southern gateway to Europe. It can be hard to get your bearings here. Over the last three millennia, Malta has been conquered or colonized by just about every world powe:- and each has left its mark.

Mt)St of the 500,000 people here are Catholic, a tradition that started early. The Apostle Paul is said to have shipwrecked here in 60 A.D.

Mark Anthony Falzon: I find this to be a good metaphor of Maltese culture.

Mark An.thony :'alzon is an anthropology professor and local newspaper columnist.

Mark An:hony Falzon: The story is that St. Paul convened t.:ne Maltese m Christianity. So that woulc'c nean that Malta vHs one of the first pla:es to be converted to Chris;:ianity even before Rome. So we would be the o::1ginal an::! the best Cnristians.

A srnall band of crusaders, later known as the Knights of Malta, fended off the mighty Ottomans in the 16th century. Under 3ritish rule, the Maltese survived more than 3,000 German and Itallan bombing raids in World War II.

M~ta. gained its independence in :964 and. smce then, this counuy io\'it..h little heavy indus::::-y and not much arable land, has hac to :J.gLre out a way to get by on its own.

Manage Scnpts https ://www. cbs news .com/n ews/inside-th e-corruption-allegations-plagu ing -malta-60-m rnutes-2020-08-16/ 2/8 10/26/2020 Inside the corruption allegations plaguing Malta- 60 Minutes- CBS News Remnants of its fabled past have m2de it nreoistible to Hollvv;ood producers, parts cf "Gladi3.:or'' were filmed hEre and "Game of Thrones.··

Europeans flock here for a budget ran. Oligarchs, to dock their supcryachts.

JVIalta s already an established hub of online gambling.

But since taking over in 2013, the current government has sought to refashion the country as a mecca for emerging and complex teclmol::>gies like cryptocurrency i:\nd Blockchain. The 45-year-old Prime MinisTer, Joseph IvluscaT. is the high p1iest of this nei•V gospel.

These industries may be :hriving in this sunny place, yeT they're kno·,vn to attract more th?.n their fair share of shadowy people. But that's nothing new. for centuries. Malta played host to pirates :md smugglers, operating at wh;:n Mark Anthony Falzon cails t.he "center of the fringes."

Jon Wertheim: It strikes me &,ere's a certain ingenuity, a certain scrappiness here.

Mark Anthony Falzon: Um. yes, and scrappiness also m eans flexibility.

Jon Wertheim: Does that also pertain to-- a V'.rillingness to bend rules' Flexibility in that sense?

M·arkAnthony Falzon: No doubt . Yes. The person who never bends the rules they are thought of as a bit of a good boy.

Jon Wertheim: Which is not a term of endearment.

Mark Anthony Falzon: No, a good boy is n ot a very good thing to be. It's naive.

Perhaps in that same entrepreneurial spirit, the government has launched a program, some call it a scherne, to sell passports w the world's super-rich. Have a spare milliort7 You wo could buy 111altese citizenship, and as this promotional video shuws, the European Union pa.ssport that comes with it.

Promotional Video: As citizens of Malta, successful applicants can enjoy vis2.-free access to approximately 170 countries.

Jon Vvertheim: Who's buying these passports?

Manuel Delia: Russian Tycoons, Chinese tycoons, Saudi tycoons, Nigerian tycoons.

Manage Scripts https:// www. cbs news .com/news/inside-th e-corruption-allegations-plagu 1ng-m alta-60-mlnutes-2020-08-16/ 3/8 10/26/2020 Inside the corruption allega tions plaguing Malta - 60 Minutes - CBS News

For Manuel Delia,

Jon Wertheim: Why would they v,-am 2. Maltese passport7

Manuel Delia: Because they want to go in the rest of the ·world, hiding where they're really from. l'Jialtese passp.:.ns give them not only free movement for themselves through European airports. but it gi\•es their money, their capital free nwvement throughout Europe.

And free r:.-wvemem to the United St<:u:es.

Jon \AJertheim: American airport, you've got that Ivlaltese passport validated by the EU, you go right through passport control?

Manuel Delia: Visa-free. Absolutely. So, that's a big reason to have it.

Applicants to the ''golden passport progre:'-rn," as it's come to be known, are supposed to show that they've established residence in Malta for at least a year. but when we checked the listed address for a Russian t-ycoon it led us .here. To a modest suburb and rundo-.vn basement apartment that had been divided in tv.ro.

Jon Wertheim.: Let's j Llst call this ·what it is. This-- this is a fraud.

Iv1e.nuel Delia: It is a fraud. Il's a fraud. What-- what's worse, it's perpetrated by the state. It's not just sanctioned by the state.

There are other countries in Europe 'Nhere money can get you a passport, but in tiny Malta, it has helped contribute to the economic boom. And yet, if Mclta is suddenly flush with cctsh, in other ways it's bankrupt. At least according to JOUrnalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who spent years chronicling organized crime as weli as high-level corruption for Malta's major newspapers and then on her blog, "Running Commentary." \'IThen she launched the site in 2008, her son Matthevv says it quickly turned into a must-read.

Jon Wertheim: How would you describe her blog, 'Running Commentary," to someone that-­ t.hat hadn't read it before?

Matthew Caruana Galizia: It was completely revolutionary.

Manage Scnpts https ://www. cbs news .com/news/inside-th e-corruption-allegations-plagutng-m alta-60-m i nutes-2020-08-16/ 4/8 10/26/2020 Inside the corruption allegations plaguing lv1a lta - 60 Minutes- CBS News

She becan1e known simply as ''Daphne," and just as quickly, became a reviled figure in some corners of Mal ta. Vilified by government officials. subjected to li bel suits and to de

.Jon Wertheim: De you ever think to say, "Mom, you gotta swp the blog. You've gotta stop poking and provoking. This is geLLing dangerous?~~

Matthew Carua;1a Ga.li::ia: Of course she feit fear, and you could see it. She knew that the powerful people that she INas writing about were closing in on her. They were using every possible means to shut her down. She knevv that. and Lhat frightened her deeply.

Then on the afternoon of October 16, 2017, Matthe·w was sitring across from his m other at the dining room table in u.'le family home as she finished a biog post. "There are crooks everywhere you look now,'' she vcrote. "The situation is desperate."

Just before 3 p.m., she left the house to go to the bank

Matthew· Caruana Galizia: And trlen what seemed like 30 seconds later I hear the eXl,_Jlosion. And it was just so loud.

Daphne's car made it less than a mile dovvn the road through the valley when a powerful bomb placed under her seat was detonated, sending thick black smoke into the air. Matthe\v ran toward the wreckage.

Jon \liJertheirn: So you think this is where--

Matthew Caruana Galizia: I think this is where-- the-- this is where the bomb went off. It's been m arked by the forensic team. And this is where a lot of the flesh and metal and plastic was.

The car ended up in a field 100 y«rds avvay, consumed by a fireball. Matthew's first instinct was to try and get his mother out

Matthew Caruana Galizia: I remember walking up to Lhe driver's side and just seeing fire. I didn't see anything else inside the car.

Jon Wertheim: There are a lot of w·ays to kill someone. What do you think the significance of a car bomb this powerful vvas'

Matthew Caruana Galizia: Obviously it was a way of killing my mother. A way of sending a m essage to us. To our family. A.rtd <".way of sending a message to anyone else wh o was thinking of doing anything about th e really grand corruption in this country.

.Jon Vvertheim: This was a symbolic gesm:-e?

Matthevv Caruana Galizia: It was.

Manage Scnpts https :/ /www.cbsnews .com/news/inside-the-corruption-allegations -plagu 1ng-malta-60-m inutes-2020-08-16/ 5/8 10/26/2020 Inside the corruption allegations plaguing Malta- 60 Minutes - CBS News

?or the mourners 'Nho a;:tended Dapime's fu.neral. her assassination was symbolic of just how corroded M?.lta had become. Under a government that she claimed doesn't just toler2.te corruption, bm encourages it.

The iist of scandc:ds she exposed and relentlessly pursued is too numerous to catalogue here and includes <>.l leg;:nions of cronyism, bribery, and money laundering. Bm 'lhere's one revel,:t tion th::n stands out.. involving a murky Maltese bank recently shunered by European authorities. It allegedly held accounts for some of Malta s most well-conneeted, including the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff, Keith Schembri. As Daphne chronicled, Schembri is alleged to have talzen kickbacks for broker'::g Malta's billion-dollar n ational energv deal; and for taking payoffs to help Russian miliionaires snag those coveted Maltese passports.

Ivfanuel Delict: Keith Schembri is stili in business. He's the ch ief of staff of the prime minister. He's the mosT pO\verful man in this government .

Jon Wertheim: He went to vmrk today?

I'1anuel Delia: He went to work today--

Jon Wertheim: With-- with this cloud hovering over him?

Manuel Delia: \!Vel!, this is what impunity is about. This is vvhy I'm angry

Schembri del'.ies any vnongdoing. But leaked findings into 1he passport kickback ?,llegations by Malta's ovm financial watchdog determined that there was, "reasonable suspicion of money laundering and 1or che existence of proceeds of crime." Maltese justice officials are looking iEto both sets of allegations. What's more, th ere have been multiple inquiries by European authorities, all raising serious questions abou1 corruption in Malta. Vve put all this to Glenn Bedingfield, a local member of Parliament and former advisor to the Prime H inister.

Manage Scripts https ://www. cbs news .com/news/inside-the-corruption-allegations-plagui ng-m alta-60-m i nutes-2020-08-16/ 6/8 1012612020 Inside the corruption allegations plaguing IVIalia - 60 Minutes- CBS News Jon Vvertheim: Wha's your level of concern7

Glenn Bedingfield: I don t have any concerns.

Jon Vvertheim: Yot: have no concern;; about corruption?

Glenn Bedingfield: No, because I think that there's a smear campaign, trying to h it the government.

Jon Wertheim: .t1.ll of this is a politically charged smear campaign--

Glenn Bedingfield It is a politically charged smear campaign, yes--

Jon Wertheim: The EU, the European ;:nnhorities.

Glenn Bedingfield: The EU. C:m you quote from an. EU-- can vou?

Jon \Vertheirn: I can quo:e from an EU report-- right now. This 1s Ana Maria Gomes

Glenn Bedingfield: vVhoa, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho. Ana JVir..ria Gomes.

\A.Ihen we met her, Ana Maria Gomes was i.l Portu guese member of the European Parliament leading an :::u inquiry imo the rule of la1·v in lvfalta. She ._,,,as part of a growing chorus of officials vd1o see th e country as a problem child on the continent.

Ana Ma.ria Gomes: The systenl is basically flavved, because the prime rninister ultim a.tely controls the attorney general. v,·ho also controls the police. No body's being tried. And of course, the sense of irnpunity is b.::ing fuelled by this fact.

Ana M. c:tria Gomes: And it affects us all.

Jon Wertheim: Something's rotten in the state of Malta, I hear you say.

Ana Maria Gomes: Yes. And such a beautiful island, and such a great people. such a proud history. But-- I must say that at the moment, indeed, the political-- atmosphere is-- is -- is rotten.

We repeatedly asked tO speak vvith Prime lviinister Muscat, but were told he didn't. have time. I:ns-.:ead, the government put fo rward the Finance Minister, Edward Scicluna.

Jon Wertheim: Can y.Ju not see how people looking at :Malta from the outside really wonder about integrity and corruption here"

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna: It's not that picmre you're-- you're depicting. It looks bad. bm it's not

Jon Wertheim: I want to be clear. This is o. depiction based on multiple different autho;·iLies ins1de in Europe--

"Pi n::mr·, 'vtinister Edward Scicluna: All allegations, they are ali e>jJegations. Manage Scripts https :llwww.cbs news .comlnewslinside-th e-corruption-allegations-plaguing-malta-60-m inutes-2020-08-161 718 ·-~ -~

10/26/2020 Inside the corruption allegations plaguing Malia - 60 Minutes -CBS News Jon Vverthein': They're allegation;; that have come out of i:-.ve5'tigaticns. These aren't ;:id ho:ninem attad:s--

finance Minis;:cr Edward Scicluna: No. l'm not trying to dovmplay allegations. Allegations are st:rious. But they are still ailegations. You know, it's up to the courts and their proceciures and their Experts tO de-- to decide.

The supporters of Daphne Caruana Galizia have no faith in these experts and procedures, especially vvhen iT co:r.1es to solv"ing her murder. Aft er a high-profiie government raid nearly two years ago, three men v,rere detaineci, figures she didn't know and never vnote about, but few dc·~ b t the assassination was or:le:·ed by one of her rnany powerful enemies.

Jon ·v,lertheim: Hove will you knO'N when you have justice?

JvJ:a.tthe~:v Caruana Galizia: Wh.::n all the CCHT:.lpt peopie that she vv-as reporting on treating om country as a gigantic uough ·which they re feeding from for years. When they've paid the priG: for that, then ll'Cere v.ill be justice for 1TIY mother's stories. But the:e also has to be justice for her murdEr, too.

The old r&mpar ~ s. designed 10 protect Malta from conquest and coioni::.ation still stand tall. 3ut omside forces thal once might have invaded the c ountq~ now iook on v,:-ith concern, Wctiti1~ g to see whether Malta can confront itself. and m ove in from the center of the fring<::S.

Since ._,,,e first broadcast thio: story, Joseph Muscat, 1\iliilta's Prime Minister, resigned in disgrace arnidst a firestorm over his handling of the investigation into Daphne's death. His chief of s-:aff, Keith Sche:nbri, left toe•. And one of the w· ealthiest men in Malta with close ti es to the Muscat government has been arrested, hj s business dealings hc.d been a target of Daphne's investigations.

P1Dduced b;,. ]11ichael_F-I. GavshoiL, David JV! Levine and Aarthi Rajaran1an.

:;-,:;:; Search ... :: ~: :: ;1 .. ,.. ::~v:~k~.::~ : ~

Manage Scripts https://www.cbs news .com/news/ins ide-the-corruption-allegations -plagu i ng-malta-60-mlnutes-2020-08-16/ 8/8 10/26/2020 E.U. Tells Cyprus and Malta to Abandon 'Golden Passports' - The New York Times

i!:{Jl' ~l'\11 !Jork

E. U Tells Cyprus and Malta to Abandon 'Golden Passports'

The 1:\.vo countries have raised billions of euros by selling thousands of coveted travel documents, even in some cases granting citizenship to foreigners fleeing arrest warrants.

By Matina Stevis-Gridneff and Monika Pronczuk

Published Oct. 20, 2020 Updated Oct. 21. 2020

BRUSSELS- Cyprus and Malta will face European Union penalties if they do not abandon lucrative programs that sell "golden passports" to foreigners, the bloc says, a long-anticipated crackdown on a practice that in certain cases furnished foreigners-some accused of crimes in their home countries- with travel documents.

The European Commission, the bloc's administrative branch, has for years had the two nations in its cross hairs over the practice, and its hand was forced by recent revelations of highly placed politicians being invoh·ed in the programs. Most recently, an AI Jazeera investigation in Cyprus purported to show egregious practices by prominent politicians that could enable rich people with criminal records to acquire E.U. passports through citizenship of the two countries, offering them legal protections and the right to freely travel in the bloc.

The initiatives have brought a windfall to the two island nations over the years. Both are known for lax financial regulation frameworks and have a history of building opaque banking systems that have been used for money laundering and ta."X avoidance, particularly by Russian and Asian billionaires.

Bulgaria, which is also operating a pay-for-passports program, is being investigated by the commission and could face similar legal action down the line. And while the Cypriot and Maltese initiatives are the most notorious in the bloc, most E.U. countries offer residency-fo r-investment programs that have been criticized by anticorruption activists and by the bloc itself. Twenty of its 27 members give foreign investors residency rights in exchange for payment, whi ch in some cases put the investors on a path to fu ll citizenship. In a 2018 report, the anticorruption organization Global Witness found that 100,000 people had made use of such initiatives, known as "golden visas," to acquire legal residence in European Union countries. A 2019 European Commission report said that even the lighter programs, vvhich offered residence benefits to investors, were a cause for concern and risked being abused.

Malta has issued more than 2,000 "golden passports" since starting its program in 2014. Gianni Ci priano ror The New York Times

In announcing its decision to open infringement proceedings against Cyprus and Malta, the commission said in a statement on Tuesday that "the granting of E.U. citizenship for predetermined payments or investments without any genuine link with the member states concerned undermines the essence of E.U. citizenship."

The infringement process is fairly lengthy. The first stage consists of information exchanges between the European Commission and the countries in question, and the countries' authorities have two months to reply to the accusations. If the responses are not "satisfactory," then the commission can up the ante, making penalties more likely.

Any punishment for Cyprus and Malta will come only if they do not scrap the programs by the end of the process. https://www. nytimes .com/2020/1 0/20/world/eu rope/cyprus-malta -golden -passports.htm I 1/2 10/26/2020 E.U. Tells Cyprus and Malta to Abandon 'Golden Passports·- The New York Times Cyprus, which went bankrupt in 2013, promised to overhaul its banking sector and in troduce stronger safeguards in exchange for a bailout from other European countries and the International Monetary Fund. Wllile many commercial banks were subject to overhauls, the passport program was seen as a new way of doing business with clientele that had previously relied on the island's opaque financial services. The "golden passport" plans also offered the island economies with limited resources and small industrial, agricultural and manufacturing sectors a source of state revenue that avoided investing in other sectors or raising taxes. And in the cases of both Cyprus and Malta, it played to their strengths as financial services centers v.rith significant expert wo rk forces. Since Cyprus began its current program in 2013, it has issued about 4,000 passports, raising 7 billion euros, or around S8.2 billion, in revenue. The program allows foreigners to get a Cypriot passport in exchange for at least €2 million investment in the country, usually in real estate, with minimal additional requirements and a light-touch oversight process.

The country last year stripped 26 people from Cambodia, Iran, Malaysia and Russia of recently granted passports, most prominent among them Jho Low, a Malaysian financier on the run for a major financial scandal known as 1MDB. Mr. Low has denied any wrongdoing.

Last week, Cyprus said that it would end its golden passport program as of Nov. 1 but that it would continue to process the backlog of applications. And while the government acknowledged that the initiative had been abused, it detlied any wrongdoing.

In Malta, Prime Minister Robert Abela spoke out in favor of its program on Monday in anticipation of the E.U. legal action. "We will be defending Malta," he said, according to local news media.

J\11. 1: Abela also pointed to the financial lift that it had given the country. "Had it not been for the contributions from that program, wlli ch we are in the process of winding down, we would probably not have been in a position to present a budget of this scale," Mr. Abela said. Malta's program was started in 2014, and by mid-2017 had issued more than 2,000 passports and raised €718 million, according to the 2018 Global Witness report. The office that oversees the Maltese program did not reply to a New York Times request on Tuesday for more up-to-date information and comment.

The European Commission seemed unconvinced by pledges to end the program in Cyprus and overhaul it in Malta. "Malta in fact informed the commission that it envisages the prolongation of citizenship for investment," a spokesman, Christian Wigand, said on Tuesday. "And while Cyprus very recently announced it will end its current scheme as of 1st of November, it will continue to process pending applications."

"We understand there are already calls regarding the introduction of new schemes," Mr. Wigand added. "Such schemes are in violation of E.U. law, and this is why we are launching the infringements today." Activists welcomed the news on Tuesday. "For years, the governments of both countries have ignored public outrage," Laure Brillaud of Transparency International E. U. said in a statement. "The European Commission's decision means they could find themselves in the European Court of Justice unless both countries take swift action to end the abuse."

"We are hopeful that the infringement procedures will be complemented by the urgent and necessary E. U.-wide reform," she added. "The European Commission should present a plan for phasing out the golden visa schemes as the next step."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/20/world/europe/cypr us-malta-golden-passports.html 212