Financial Crimes Committee calls for action on 17 Black

Today, the European Parliament’s Committee on Financial Crimes, Tax Evasion and Tax Avoidance, of which MEP David Casa is a full member, voted on its final report.

Partit Nazzjonalista’s Head of Delegation in the European Parliament David Casa stated: “The Committee has called on national governments to introduce anti-SLAPP legislation to protect journalists and for concrete action to also be taken at the EU level. In addition, following the hearing on 17 Black, MEPs have expressed their deep concern over the situation in Malta and the political inaction on cases of high-level corruption and money laundering involving Maltese politicians. The Committee has demanded that the UAE ensures that funds frozen in 17 Black’s bank accounts remain frozen and highlighted the lack of independence of both the Maltese FIAU and the Maltese Commissioner of Police”.

The Committee noted that investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was working on the biggest data leak she had ever received at the time she was assassinated - documents from Electrogas - and that it is the director and shareholder of Electrogas that has been exposed as the owner of the company 17 Black.

A call was also made for the establishment of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in order to address serious doubts about the independence of any ongoing investigations on 17 Black, with the support of EUROPOL and EUROJUST.

David Casa stated: “It is of great concern that there have been reports of lack of progress on requests for information from the authorities in the UAE. Serious questions have been raised as to how actively Maltese authorities are pursuing the transfer of evidence that would implicate people at the highest levels of government in corruption and money laundering.”

Earlier this month, the TAX3 Committee held a hearing on the 17 Black revelations.

The report also dealt with issues of taxation that a number of member states, including Malta, strongly oppose. “I submitted amendments to any such provisions in the drafting phase of this report and strongly opposed any clauses that could have had a negative impact on Malta’s taxation system in the vote today. I have always vociferously defended Malta’s taxation system and will always continue to do so,” stated Casa.