MEPs more concerned about the rule of law now than before visit

MEPs are more concerned about the rule of law now that when they arrived, Head of the MEP delegation S&D MEP Ana Gomes told the media today.

Originally, it was Greens MEP Sven Giegold who said this statement during the press conference, however asked if the MEPs shared his sentiment, that they are more concerned now than before coming to Malta she said "unfortunately yes."

During the press conference, Giegold said he was more concerned now than before coming to Malta.  He was responding to questions by the foreign press, and said that the MEPs did not learn a lot about the individual cases, as there were limits on what could be revealed. He mentioned however, that he noted an unwillingness and incompetence to investigate and prosecute on a number of cases.

He said the police in particular showed a high degree of unwillingness to investigate and partially also, demonstrated incompetence. "I am even more concerned over the rule of law now than before the visit and we have to follow up on what we found".

He spoke about the documents provided by former FIAU investigator Jonathan Ferris and his declaration that he does not feel safe. He said all MEPs said he deserves day and night protection, calling on the authorities to put it in place. "I call on people in Malta to share information with us so we can do our job."

Gomes said that the MEPs expressed serious concerns about the unclear separation of powers during their meetings, "which has been a source of the perceived lack of independence of the judiciary and the police, the weak implementation of anti-money laundering legislation, the serious problems deriving from the IIP scheme, and mentions of politically exposed persons in the Panama Papers and their continuing presence in government. Members noted the low rate of investigations an absence of prosecution by the Maltese authorities on these cases, as well as with regards to private sector actors involved, such as Nexia BT and Pilatus Bank."

 

from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2zUtSsu
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