Former FIAU manager Jonathan Ferris stands by what he told Egrant inquiring magistrate
Former Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit manager Jonathan Ferris is standing by what he told Magistrate Aaron Bugeja during the Egrant inquiry, Ferris’s lawyer Kris Busietta said yesterday.
Busietta was speaking to journalists after Ferris was questioned at the police headquarters over his testimony in the Egrant inquiry. The questioning lasted almost three hours.
Afterwards, Busietta said that Ferris was asked about the testimony he had given to Bugeja in the Egrant Inquiry, which found no evidence to substantiate Efimova’s allegations that the infamous Panamanian company belonged to Michelle Muscat and was part of a $1.07 million transfer from the daughter of Azeri President Ilham Aliyev.
“He has changed nothing from what he told Magistrate Bugeja,” Busietta said.
Asked whether any charges will be filed against his client, Busietta said that the question must be made to the police.
It was reported that Ferris had asked for the questioning to take place at a later date because his lawyer is abroad, but the police refused his request.
Beyond his Egrant testimony, Ferris, a former FIAU investigator, has claimed that up until April 2017, he was trusted by the FIAU to supervise investigations into government officials, yet
after the general elections were announced, he was removed from this and pushed aside by the same organisation, with his employment being terminated without reason on 16 June.
“This was a few days after the Finance Minister came out with his theory that the FIAU reports were written with an aim to be leaked,” he said.
On Tuesday, this newspaper reported that Russian Pilatus Bank whistleblower Maria Efimova is expected to be changed with perjury. She allegedly leaked information to Caruana Galizia.
The first EAW against Efimova was issued after she fled Malta following charges of misappropriating €2,000 at Pilatus Bank and making false accusations against three police officers, one of whom was FIAU whistleblower Jonathan Ferris. The case predated the Egrant allegations.
In a statement, the Occupy Justice pressure group condemned the move: “Despite #occupyjustice’s repeated please, the Malta Police did not act on the FIAU reports that exposed Konrad Mizzi’s and Keith Schembri’s money laundering crimes. However, the Malta Police seem to be very keen to chase after people, like the former Inspector Jonathan Ferris, who have fought for the truth to come out in the name of justice.
“#OccupyJustice condemns this political persecution vehemently. We no longer recognise our Malta. This is why we will keep on fighting for what is right, for justice and for a fair and equal society. Because, this is our nation, this is our home, and we are the people. We expect better, we deserve better, we demand better.”