Following a public appearance in which the Nationalist Party’s home affairs spokesperson expressed “serious reservations” about the whistleblower in the Egrant case, Maria Efimova, while also downplaying the role of anti-corruption NGO Repubblika, the NGO responded by calling out the former’s conflict of interest as a criminal lawyer and MP.
Earlier on Saturday, the PN’s home affairs spokesperson, Joe Giglio, made an appearance on the radio show ‘Malta’s Heart’, in which he referred to information about the Egrant whistleblower which he acquired from his time as the former lawyer for Pilatus Bank.
The bank was closed down by the European Central Bank in 2018 over leaked intelligence reports which connected it to money laundering. Efimova, a former employee of the bank and the whistleblower in question, had said the ownership of a company linked with the bank, named Egrant, with the wife of disgraced former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.
Slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia had published Efimova’s claims. Efimova now stands accused of perjury following an inquiry which had not found any conclusive evidence linking the Muscats with the company, and has fled Malta out of fear for her safety.
Speaking about his time serving as Pilatus Bank’s lawyer, Giglio said the bank had taken action against Efimova over an alleged abuse of one of its employee credit cards at a hotel room and that Efimova had responded with a counter-claim about unpaid wages.
Referring to the Egrant saga itself and his experience of Efimova during the case involving the alleged credit card abuse, Giglio described the whistleblower as someone he knew as “a malevolent woman who was capable of getting herself into certain situations” and as a person who “can manipulate facts”.
Answering questions about whether he agrees with Repubblika’s calls for the resignations of Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg and Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa’, Giglio drew a clear line between the NGO and the PN, arguing that the PN represents a larger segment of the population and that he would rather talk about the Party.
In its rebuttal, Repubblika criticised Giglio over conflict of interest between his roles as a criminal lawyer and the Opposition’s shadow home affairs minister.
“When he represents his clients in court, Joe Giglio does his job by portraying criminals like angels. When he uses his credentials as an MP and a speaker for the Opposition he does not just have a conflict of interest. He is betraying his democratic function,” the NGO said in its statement.
“While he is the Opposition’s home affairs speaker, Giglio negotiates with the country’s institutions as the lawyer of his criminal clients. Rather than making sure that the institutions uphold their duties to the Maltese people, he wishes to see the institutions enabling his criminal clients,” it added.
The NGO also drew a line between the functions of political parties and NGOs, albeit in an entirely different manner. While Giglio believes that parties will always rank more highly in terms of importance to society, Repubblika argued otherwise.
“There is no higher or lower in a democracy. There is the function of the parties and the function of non-governmental organisations. One of the functions of non-governmental organisations is to expose the parties’ wrongdoing and to act when institutions fail,” the statement read.
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Il-but l’ewwel u qabel kollox jidher ghal dan il-politiku waRa li xbajna nisimghu stejjer fil-verita tal-fatti. Din kienet tghix Malta u taf bl’ahbarijiet tal-gurnata. Kienet taf x’inhu ghaddej gewwa u barra.
The NP has a problem with Dr Giglio. His argument about the NGO and the PN doesn’t hold water.
Dr.Giglio, which NGO forced Joseph Muscat to resign?
Thank God for Civil Society and NGO’s, who collectively represent the whole population.
These act as watchdog over the political parties, government and opposition, to prevent them from riding roughshod over the people, and from ganging together, to further their own political and personal interests.
Civil Society and NGO’s, are together much bigger and wider than political parties, because their followers are cross party with common interests.
The National Protests that these have organised together, have brought about results which none of the parties achieved.
The bulldozing by the government party, and the non-chalance of the opposition party, have spring boarded the importance of Civil Society, and created Civil Society and NGO’s as their common enemy.
The PLPN outfit has become an absolute reality, with representatives of both parties, twinning themselves in public photos, to give us visual proof of their love affair.
Let us all put an end to this nonsence, and consider the political class as generally dishonourable and unfit for purpose, except to hijack our hard earned taxes, to fill their pockets and line them in gold.
Maria Efimova – keep strong and do what is right to expose the Egrant reality, and the crookedness of the laundromat Pilatus bank, and don’t let anyone intimidate you, to keep your mouth shut.
If Bernard Grech stays quiet, then bye-bye PN and bye-bye Bernard Grech, he would be sitting in the wrong seat.
“Dr.” Joe Giglio – since he has said this publicly – must also be sharply rebuked publicly.
Nothing else count.
Unless the PN calls in Giglio and the Board of Discipline . the PN is toast.
If you want to know where Dr Giglio stands, just follow the money trail. He should continue defending the criminals if he likes but not as a member of parliament. The interests are too conflicting.
Unbelievable!!
The PN proving itself to be part of our Islands’ chronic problem, rather than a hopeful solution.
NGO’s are our only hope.
One could also add: “And, of course, to expose not only parties’ wrongdoings but, a fortiori, those of the Party members themselves.”
PN-Leader Bernhard Grech is still silent about NGO!
Repubblika Seems to me the only honest opposition.
Too bad that it is extra-parliamentary! Very pity.
No punishment to Joe Giglio because of party damage:Bernhard Grech seems to me the wrong person as leader!