EP debate on Malta’s rule of law today

A debate on the rule of law in Malta will be held in the European Parliament today.

A majority of parliamentary groups have signed on to a proposed resolution calling on Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar to investigate the Panama Papers revelations as well as the politically exposed people (PEPs) in the leaked reports of the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU).

The proposed resolution also calls on the Maltese supervisory and judiciary authorities to investigate the licensing process of Pilatus Bank. The vote on the resolution will be held tomorrow.

Last Sunday, it was reported that European Parliament sources had told The Malta Independent on Sunday that it would be “near to impossible for the joint resolution not to be passed through the EP given the breadth of support it has received.”

The debate comes in the wake of the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. It will be the second time the rule of law in Malta is debated by the European Parliament, the first having been called last June in the wake of the Panamas Papers allegations.

It will be the third time that a contentious Maltese issue will be specifically treated by the EP, the first having been the highly controversial Individual Investor Programme (sale of citizenship scheme), which had seen the vast majority of MEPs lined up against Malta’s stance.