[WATCH] Opposition MPs say Attorney General obliged to publish 17 Black inquiry report

Opposition MPs Darren Carabott and Claudette Buttigieg reiterate calls for 17 Black inquiry report to be published

By: maltatoday.com

Jan 06 2025
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[WATCH] Opposition MPs say At

The Nationalist Party has insisted the 17 Black and Panama Papers magisterial inquiry report be published as soon as possible.

“The Attorney General is obliged to publish the Magisterial Inquiry […]. However, not only is she failing to honour this obligation, but she is also denying access to the conclusions of the inquiry, even to those who initiated it,” Nationalist Party MP Claudette Buttigieg and PAC Chairman Darren Carabott said.

A criminal inquiry has concluded that Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi should be charged over plans to receive money from Dubai company 17 Black owned by Yorgen Fenech.

Magistrate Charmaine Galea presented her findings to the Attorney General a few days ago with a recommendation to charge Schembri, Mizzi and at least three other people. The inquiry also recommends criminal action against several companies.

The Opposition MPs on Monday said publishing the inquiry would allow the Maltese and Gozitan people to learn who stole millions from them and how much corruption has cost the country.

The press conference also was delivered a few minutes after Nationalist MEP David Casa announced the request was turned down because the Attorney General does not want to prejudice any future prosecutions.

“I condemn this decision. The public has a right to know every detail of this theft and treachery. Institutions should operate in complete transparency in order to start winning back the trust it lost years ago,” he said.

While praising former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil and David Casa, who opened the inquiry with the assistance of lawyer Jason Azzopardi, the two speakers also paid tribute to the assassinated journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Before her murder, she had revealed the existence of 17 Black and its links to former Minister Konrad Mizzi and former Chief of Staff Keith Schembri.

"Daphne was right," they asserted, adding that today’s developments strengthen the Prime Minister’s position to ensure that the Attorney General does not continue denying access to an inquiry initiated by Simon Busuttil himself.

They also called on her to stop acting as a tool for Prime Minister Robert Abela, who, “while publicly supporting the inquiry’s publication, appears to be playing games behind the scenes.”

The speakers reminded the public that in the past, Abela had instructed the Attorney General to publish inquiries, and highlighted he should not obstruct or manipulate the process to prevent the truth from coming out. They compared this situation to the Vitals inquiry, which they claimed ended up being “exploited abusively and illegally by the Prime Minister.”

“What started as an issue of public funds mismanagement has now escalated into a criminal matter,” they said.

Darren Carabott and Claudette Buttigieg highlighted that within just a few months, two major Labour government contracts have not only faced condemnation “for the manner in which they were awarded” but are also now leading to criminal proceedings against individuals linked to the Labour Party: the Vitals-Steward hospital contracts and the Electrogas power station contract.