‘European Socialist Party should call for resignation of Mizzi and Schembri’ – Gomes

MEP Ana Gomes called on her party – the European Socialist Party – to call for the resignation and prosecution of Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi and chief of staff Keith Schembri following the results of the Bugeja inquiry.

Gomes – who chaired the delegation of MEPs who discussed the rule of law in Malta and allegations of corruption – said in a tweet:

“Still hoping to see @PES_PSE also shocked by @JosephMuscat_JM keeping in his Gov the corrupt and #PanamaPapers exposed Keith Schembri & Konrad Mizzi. Still hoping to see @PES_PSE call for their ousting from Gov and criminal prosecution.”

The main conclusions of the inquiry, headed by Magistrate Aaron Bugeja, were released on Sunday and said the magistrate found no documentation linking the Panama company Egrant the Prime Minister’s wife, Michelle Muscat.

Gomes, a vocal critic of the government following the Panama Papers revelations, was referring to a statement issued by the European Socialists Party that welcomed the inquiry which it said had “unequivocally ruled out” any connection by Muscat and his family to money laundering or corruption.

Meanwhile, in a separate tweet, Gomes referred to comments made by EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to TVM who said he was not surprised by the result and that he was looking forward to continue working with “his friend Muscat”.

“Also not surprised. Neither if opposite findings (sic). No report I co-signed took stand on #Egrant, waiting investigation. Instead expressed shock that #corrupt K.Mizzi & K.Schembri, exposed by #PanamaPapers #DaphneCaruanaGalizia, were kept in gov by @JosephMuscat_JM. And they still are!,” she said.

Gomes is the vice-chair of the European Parliament’s Committee of Inquiry into Money Laundering, Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion, known as PANA. During a visit to Malta in June, she had expressed her concern that Mizzi and Schembri were still left in office despite their secret offshore dealings having been exposed by the Panama Papers.