Tag: Joseph Muscat

Keith Schembri, former Chief of Staff of the Maltese Prime Minister, is accused of money laundering and corruption. His legal team has requested that forensic expert Samuel Sittlington, Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa, and former Deputy Commissioner Alexandra Mamo testify to clarify alleged negotiations for consultancy services during the investigation. The defense calls into question the expert’s independence, further complicating an already contentious trial.

Joseph Muscat, former Prime Minister of Malta, pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, corruption, and other crimes during a dramatic court appearance on Tuesday. The proceedings mark the first time in Maltese history that a former politician has faced such charges. If he is found guilty, he could face an 18-year prison sentence. Muscat's supporters have compared the charges to those against Jesus. Hello, really now?

In a spectacular political shakeup in Malta, Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne resigned and requested the withdrawal of his nomination to the EU Commission after being implicated in the latest corruption scandal involving the privatization of Maltese Vitals hospitals. This adds another layer to the ongoing investigation into a corruption case that has already ensnared several high-profile figures, including former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

In an interesting development that perfectly describes the outlandish Maltese ecosphere, DF Corporate Advisory Ltd, a newly incorporated entity, has been entangled in a major legal debacle over accusations of money laundering tied to the vast corruption case around the privatization of Vitals hospitals. This case draws attention due to the company's claim of non-existence when it was allegedly involved in criminal activities.

Malta's former prime minister Joseph Muscat, his chief-of-staff Keith Schembri, ex-minister Konrad Mizzi, and 19 other individuals and companies will be charged with money laundering, corruption, bribery, and other serious crimes, the Times of Malta reports. This case, unfolding within the already tarnished framework of Maltese political integrity, recalls previous reports by FinTelegram detailing the island's longstanding issues with corruption.

Alexandre Dreyfus, once a key figure in Binance’s Malta operations, appears unscathed by the crypto exchange's legal challenges in the US. Dreyfus, who significantly contributed to Binance's establishment in Malta, is now living a lavish lifestyle filled with private jets and luxury in Malta despite the company facing a hefty $4.3 billion settlement with US authorities for anti-money laundering violations.

FinTelegram brought the Maltese scandal surrounding the privatization of three hospitals and Vitals Global Healthcare (VGH) in early March 2023. Now OCCRP has picked up the story, reporting on the misuse of millions and the personal enrichment of the people behind VGH, including its former CEO, Sri Ram Tumuluri. Funds were also funneled to Joseph Muscat, the former Prime Minister of Malta. The Maltese corruption seems to know hardly borders.

Last week, two brothers, George Degiorgio, 59, and Alfred Degiorgio, 57, charged with the car-bomb assassination of the Maltese journalist and blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia in October 2017 have been sentenced to a 40-year prison term. They pleaded guilty to her murder on the first day of their trial. Caruana Galizia, the "one-woman Wikileaks" had investigated political corruption in Malta and abroad. She was known as a harsh critic of the Maltese government.

XNT LTD (previously known as Exante Ltd) is a Maltese investment firm regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA). On 13 June 2022, the FIAU announced that it had fined XNT Ltd €244,679 over a series of anti-money laundering shortcomings. The Maltese regulator said the company did not fulfill its anti-money laundering obligations by not assessing and appropriately obtaining information on the purpose and intended nature of their clients' business relations.

Exante Group is a Maltese-Russian investment venture with XNT LTD (previously known as Exante Ltd), an investment firm regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), and EXT Ltd, an investment firm regulated by CySEC. Exante has a long story of investigations by authorities in the U.S. In 2021, the Russian Central Bank blacklisted Exante and its CySEC-regulated entity. An investigation by The Shift found that the Exante companies are still operating. It is still listed as a member firm of the Malta Stock Exchange (MSE).

XNT LTD (previously known as Exante Ltd) is an investment firm incorporated in Malta and regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA). Three directors resigned during the past months, namely Joseph Zammit Tabona, Michael Bianchi, and Lawrence Zammit. The present directors are Alexey Kirienko and Anatoly Knyazev; they have links with former Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, allegedly the most corrupt politician in 2019.

The greylisted EU offshore hub Malta is different in many respects. An old Maltese saying that loosely translated says that some people die of thirst while others are drowning in their excesses is still true. Usually, in Malta, it is those with the betters connections that get the better deal. Take the former MFSA executive George Spiteri for example. Today, an employee of the Malta Business Registry, who for long years boasted of his close connections with disgraced, "2019 Corrupt Person of the Year," former Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.