Pana head demands an explanation on FIAU dismissals

Pana Committee head Werner Langen has formally asked Finance Minister Edward Scicluna to explain why two top officials at the government’s anti-money laundering agency were dismissed, the Times of Malta has learnt. Mr Langen, who heads the European Parliament Committee tasked with investigating the Panama Papers (Pana), said the two officials, Charles Cronin and Jonathan Ferris, were dismissed without justification. They were informed their services were no longer required on June 16, just days after Prof. Scicluna questioned whether FIAU reports that raised suspicion of money laundering “were written to be leaked”. The minister has denied any link between his “political” comments and the dismissals. Two FIAU reports, which refer to the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri, are the subject of magisterial inquiries, having been referred to the court by the Nationalist party during the electoral campaign. Extracts from another FIAU report say payments were made to a Dubai-based company called 17 Black. The FIAU said the payments to 17 Black were made by the company behind the tanker providing LNG to the new power station. According to extracts from the report, 17 Black...