Those liars are in it together

The Prime Minister and his henchman have come up with a novel way to explain Konrad Mizzi’s failure to declare his Panama company, which was incorporated in 2013 after he became Minister for Energy, in his 2013 and 2014 asset-declarations in parliament. Of course, the real reason for his failure to declare should be obvious in his choice of jurisdiction. If you incorporate your company in Panama because of its secrecy, you don’t then declare that company to your fellow MPs and the electorate (and also the authorities) in parliament back home.

It was a “shelf” company, they said, and Mizzi ‘bought’ it in Panama last year at the same time he set up the trust – in other words, that is why he didn’t declare it to parliament in 2013 and 2014, because you know how it is, it’s completely normal to go to Panama for secrecy and then list your secret company in your asset-declaration to parliament.

Please note that their story changed from the morning to the evening. In the morning Mizzi was talking to Malta Today about a shell company and giving the impression that it was incorporated in New Zealand along with the trust. But by the evening it was a “shelf” company which he bought ready made in Panama when he set up the trust in New Zealand last year. And the crucial factor which changed in between was the news on this website that the shell company Mizzi had mentioned to Malta Today is in fact a company which was incorporated for him in Panama in 2013.

That bit of news immediately cracked their ‘I/he planned to declare them all along and they are in his asset declaration which has yet to be presented to parliament next month’, so they had to come up with some weak excuse to explain why the Panama company was conspicuously absent from his last two asset-declarations. Bingo! He bought a “shelf” company.

Shades of Economy Minister Chris Cardona’s hastily-cobbled-together lease agreement for the flat at Portomaso, with its fascinating and unique clause saying that no rent needs to be paid until he leaves the flat.

What a bunch of scandalous crooks.