Secrecy laws enabling corrupt politicians to go unpunished must be scrapped

“We must end the practice of people in power using secrecy provisions in antimoney laundering legislation to escape punishment for corruption and to keep people in the dark,” Nationalist MEP David Casa said.

Casa was reacting to comments made by MP Manuel Mallia that leaked FIAU documents could prejudice an investigation.

“What investigation is being prejudiced when the investigation has been concluded and FIAU reports calling for police action have been collecting dust on the police commissioner’s desk for years? The current practice in this country is for the FIAU to call for action, for the police commissioner to be ordered not to do anything, and for nobody to ever find out about it because it ‘might prejudice an ongoing investigation’. This is, of course, a despicable abuse of the system,” Casa said.

Casa called for the FIAU investigations into politically exposed persons calling for police action to be published. David Casa stated: “It is true that the current law does not allow this. This has to change. Amend the law. At present, the law is being exploited by corrupt politicians to keep their crimes secret. Employees of public institutions owe their loyalty to the Maltese people and not to corrupt politicians. In the absence of legal provisions that protect the public, they have a moral obligation to speak out when secrecy provisions are exploited so that corruption and money laundering can go unpunished.”

On Wednesday evening, Manuel Mallia said that an investigation should be carried out into whether it was true that the Nationalist Party had received or seen FIAU reports and, if so, how they were leaked, and by whom. He pointed out that to be in possession of FIAU documents was a crime.

Reacting on Facebook, Casa wrote: “The #FIAU reports? Yes I have those. I have had it with secrecy provisions in the law being exploited so that crimes can go unpunished. The FIAU investigation concluded that Keith Schembri should be criminally prosecuted. The police commissioner and the AG buried it.

“When the institutions fail, we have a moral obligation to ensure justice and rule of law continue to prevail.

“So yes, Manuel Mallia, I have the FIAU reports. And now the European Commission has them too.”