Adrian Delia calls for Edward Scicluna resignation over EBA report

Minister of Finance Edward Scicluna must take responsibility for the European Banking Authority’s report on the FIAU, PN leader Adrian Delia said on the programme Focus on NET FM on Sunday.

The EBA found “general and systematic shortcomings” in the FIAU’s application of anti-money laundering directives with regard to Pilatus Bank, which according to leaked FIAU reports, was used to launder the proceeds from illegal kickbacks to the Maltese prime minister’s chief of staff Keith Schembri from the sale of Maltese passports.

Speaking on Sunday, Delia said the allegations of the EBA are “very serious” and that they could have an effect on Malta’s reputation; a reputation which has taken many years to make with the help of both the PN and of Maltese professionals within the field.

The fact that nobody has taken responsibility for the findings of this report shows that Malta is not a normal country, Delia said. Politicians in other Western countries who have made much less serious errors have taken responsibility for their actions, whilst in Malta the government has stubbornly denied to do so for issues as grave as this.

Delia also found it hard to believe that the FIAU had not closed its eyes to Pilatus Bank, saying that the regulatory unit did not even have full documentation on this bank. He admitted that yes in certain instances mistakes can happen; but in the case of Pilatus Bank, where people, political parties, and other organisations have been bringing this establishment to the attention of the authorities for months and even years, it is worrying that still nothing was done and that the EBA made these findings.

The Opposition leader concluded by saying that after the report was published on Wednesday, the government has yet to react to it. He called this lack of a reaction on the part of the government as admittance that the accusations are true and well-founded.

Once again, Delia called for Scicluna to take responsibility for the shortcomings found within the FIAU by the EBA and resign from his post, saying also that if he did not do this, then the responsibility should also be shouldered by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.