We are now being noted for the wrong reasons. We will go to business meetings with our European counterparts in years to come and they will still ask us about it.

You are right. The structures were set up to receive money but the opening of bank accounts proved problematic.

Typical Labour tactics have been deployed where they start harping on about all the ‘good things they are doing for the people’. I believe Justyne Caruana smiled at journalists as she went into parliament yesterday, as she deflected the questions put to her, by saying something about autism.

We heard similar things from Mrs Muscat, who instead of handling her debacle properly, started getting defensive and in effect telling people not to look at the mistakes and to focus only on the good things.

Now no one doubts that autism and helping prisoners is a good thing. Of course it is. But what is really irritating is the way they try to make people feel guilty and stupid by not focusing on it.

This is much like when Muscat suddenly, quite literally out of nowhere, went out in favour of calling civil unions for same-sex couples ‘marriage’. All well and good, but quite frankly I will not have such a cause that is so close to my heart being used to deflect the nation from what has been going on and what will have serious repercussions for everyone.

The Mafia gives to charity. Drug lords ‘do some good’ from time to time – as does President Putin. Doing good is often what the corrupt and criminal do in order to remain above suspicion and entrap those around them.

I think the Labour Party is doing the same, and it is despicable.

I think that the fact that the Panama Papers are also headlining the strong Azerbaijan connection should be explored in more detail by news media in Malta.

Aliyev’s family hold a series of offshore companies. Mizzi’s and Schembri’s decision to set up offshore companies and trusts followed their visit to Azerbaijan.