“17 Black investigation is EP priority”

“We have had serious concerns over the investigation being conducted into the 17 Black scandal for some time. 17 Black implicates persons at the highest levels of power and their preferred business associates, in corruption and money laundering. Following yesterday’s Resolution this is now also the position of the European Parliament. Derailing the course of justice is often blamed on the lack of cooperation from secretive jurisdictions. We must ensure this does not happen in this case”.

Over the last months, Partit Nazzjonalista Head of Delegation in the European Parliament David Casa has met with high ranking UAE officials concerning the Dubai based company and the bank account held at Noor Bank. $2 million held in 17 Black’s bank account were frozen following Casa having called on the bank to take action in September last year.

The European Parliament Resolution states that it was investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia who first revealed the name of company 17 Black and that she was assassinated 8 months later. At the time of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination, she was working on the biggest leak of data she had ever received – 680,000 Electrogas documents. The Resolution also notes that the director of Electrogas is also the owner of 17 Black and that the 17 Black scandal implicates persons at the highest levels of the Maltese Government.

In letters to Noor Bank and to UAE’s Head of Mission in Brussels, David Casa stated: “This case is of great importance to the European Parliament not least because there could be implications on the investigation into the assassination of a journalist. In fact, the European Parliament has called for the establishment of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) with the support of Europol and Eurojust.”

The European Parliament Resolution has also called for 17 Black’s bank account to remain frozen until thorough investigations have been concluded, and for authorities in the UAE to cooperate effectively with Maltese and international law enforcement agencies, in particular by responding to official requests for information.

“This case is of particular significance because the facts indicate it constitutes a theft from the Maltese people.” The amount of $2 million currently frozen in 17 Black’s bank account in Dubai is consistent with the amount published that correspondence shows Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri’s Panama companies were planning to receive from 17 Black.