MALTA’S PM CALLS EARLY ELECTIONS AMID SCANDAL INVOLVING WIFE

Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Monday called elections for June 3, a year early, to test his popularity following allegations that his wife owns an offshore company in Panama.

With the announcement, Labor party leader Muscat, whose 2013 election as prime minister broke a 15-year-old tenure by conservatives in Malta’s government, defied demands for his resignation.

He has denied allegations that his wife, Michelle, owns an offshore company set up secretly in Panama. A magisterial inquiry has been launched. Having an offshore company isn’t illegal, but the revelations triggered a political storm.