More and more voices at the European Parliament are calling for a hearing with the Maltese Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, on any involvement he may have had in the Panama Papers scandal.
Earlier this week, German MEP Sven Giegold (Greens/EFA) reported revelations by blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia, alleging that Muscat's wife is the beneficial owner of Egrant Inc., one of the three Panamanian companies acquired by the Maltese law firm Nexia BT using the services of Mossack Fonseca. The two other Panamanian companies, Hearnville Inc. and Tillgate Inc., belonged to the Maltese Minister Konrad Mizzi and the head of the Prime Minister's cabinet, Keith Schembri. According to the blogger, Michelle Muscat allegedly received US$1 million from the daughter of the President of Azerbaijan through Egrant Inc.
The head of the EPP group at the European Parliament, Germany's Manfred Weber, said on the information website Politico that he expected Muscat to attend a plenary session in May to explain himself.
Earlier this week, the head of the Nationalist Party (EPP), Simon Busuttil, claimed that he had evidence that Muscat's head of cabinet had accepted bribes in a case involving the sale of Maltese passports to three Russian citizens.
Giegold is asking for all documents to which the blogger has had access to be submitted to the committee of investigation into Panama Papers along with all those in Muscat's possession. He called upon the Council, which is backpedalling on the issue, to support full publication of data on beneficial owners in the current negotiations on the anti-money laundering directive.
According to our information, the EPP group is to ask the conference of the presidents of 11 May to invite Muscat to attend the May plenary. (Original version in French by Élodie Lamer)