MEP Ana Gomes on Keith Schembri and Beppe Fenech Adami

Socialist MEP Ana Gomes said that the Maltese Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff has failed to provide answers for the serious allegations being levelled against him.

MEP Gomes was giving comments after the PANA committee meeting held on Monday. Ana Gomes hails from the same Socialist group as the Maltese Labour Party MEPs, the S&D. She is also the vice-chairperson on the Pana committee.

In a statement, the Nationalist Party said that the audits presented before this same committee on Monday, do not provide any adequate answers to the questions raised on the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff.

In her comments, Ana Gomes said that Keith Schembri is not a private citizen, as he tried to imply in the letter sent to the Pana committee. “He is the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister who is currently heading the Maltese Presidency.”

She also lashed out at how Keith Schembri tried to cast doubt on the credibility and impartiality of the committee.

Ana Gomes also said she feels that the Capital One case, which involves the Nationalist Party Deputy Leader Beppe Fenech Adami, should be taken before Europol for further investigation.

Labour Party media, One News yesterday reported how, following Beppe Fenech Adami’s appearance before the Pana Committee, the MEP said that she would be willing to take the case before the European agency on law enforcement, Europol. It is being reported that MEP Gomes felt she needed this case to be heard by Europol after listening to his testimony. No further details were published.

The inquiry was set up to investigate why police failed to pursue an investigation into money laundering by an international firm, CapitalOne, when the name of one of its then directors, Beppe Fenech Adami, cropped up.