Lack of money-laundering enforcement may have attracted Venezuelan money-laundering scheme - Delia
Malta's inability to prove itself a strong jurisdiction when it came to the enforcement of moneylaundering may have attracted a $1.2 billion money-laundering scheme from Venezuela's state oil company, Opposition Leader Adrian Delia claimed during an interview with Net FM yesterday.
This comes after the former managing director and vice chairman of a Swiss bank pleaded guilty on Wednesday for his role in a billion-dollar international scheme to launder funds embezzled from Venezuelan stateowned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA).
The Malta Independent on Sunday previously reported how US investigators believe that €511 million of those funds were allegedly laundered through Malta, and also claims that a Malta-based investment firm, Portmann International, made upwards of €20 million in fees, at a four per cent rate, for laundering the funds, which are linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Delia stressed the importance of strengthening the institutions and called on Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to sit down and discuss with the Opposition to save the country's reputation.
'People cannot cross the street without fear' - Delia reiterates Marsa concerns
Replying directly to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's earlier comments on migration, Delia said that migration crossing into Europe will continue to remain a reality, and with "a Europe that is not doing enough" the country needed to begin addressing areas it can control, such as the locality of Marsa.
With interviewer Frank Psaila describing the area as "out of control", Delia began to claim that due to PL ignoring the area, Marsa residents were unable to leave "home without fear" in a locality "that is becoming alien to them."
It should be noted that figures presented in a parliamentary question by Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia showed that 301 (77%) of the 389 people arraigned for crimes in Marsa between 2015 and June 2017 were Maltese nationals.
He then said that the PN would find solutions, without going into further detail.
Delia also spoke about migration in terms of the rising cost of living, saying that the government is not preparing for the influx of 70,000 foreign workers proposed by Muscat and that the €700 million investment in the roads would amount to nothing without a proper plan for population growth.
"The government cannot even admit there are issues with pensions when the increases are being outweighed by growing costs," he said.
Government 'confusion' over 274 million payment to St Vincent de Paul consortium
In the interview, Delia reiterated the PN's call for the Auditor General to investigate a €274 million payment made to a consortium overseeing the 500-bed extension at St Vincent de Paul.
The government has categorically denied that the payment to the consortium composed of James Caterers and Malta Healthcare - a subsidiary of SeaBank DB Group - as initially reported by The Times of Malta, insisting that it went through stipulated procurement procedure despite the payment being listed as a direct order within a Government Gazette that was published on 20 July 2018.
Delia highlighted a state of "confusion" within government over the issue, explaining that "Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said that the knew nothing of the quarter of billion item, Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly Anthony Agius Decelis said it wasn't a direct order, and the Department of Information said that the Government Gazette made a mistake."
"Contracts must be followed according to procedure established in EU and Maltese law, the PN do not make the judgments, this is why the Auditor General must examine if this was done according to law," he continued.
The Partit Demokratiku has also called for the Auditor General to open up a full inquiry on this issue, filed a formal complaint with the European Commission and requested that the Public Accounts Committee meet on this issue.