How did Edward Banayoti come to be in Malta, working on buying 49.9% of the national airline?

Malta has become a magnet for shysters and the corrupt, but still, there had to be a Maltese connection. I realised that a work acquaintance seemed to have met Edward Banayoti so I rang him to ask when and how.

I was told that the former Tony Debono (ex Telemalta Corporation, a survivor-sleaze from the Dom Mintoff/Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici era of government), now known as Anthony de Bono, former ambassador to Jordan, has been squiring Banayoti about town and introducing him to movers and shakers as “a member of the Jordanian royal family”.

That figured nicely in this alarming scenario.

So I rang an old acquaintance who thinks as little of him as I do, and got him to dig out Debono/de Bono’s number from the deepest recesses his smartphone archive, and then I rang the man himself. This conversation took place in Maltese, but many of my readers are not Maltese, so here goes.

Me: “It’s Daphne Caruana Galizia. You might remember me. I’m ringing you because I’ve been told that you’re making introductions for this man Banayoti in Malta.”

TD: “Yes, so? What do you want to know?”

Me: “I’d like to know how long you’ve known him and where you met.”

TD: “I’ve known him for many years, in Jordan. You know I was Malta’s ambassador to Jordan.”

Me: “When you say ‘many years’, how long exactly?”

TD: “I don’t have to answer you. When you wrote about me, you never rang me to ask me.”

Me: “But I’m ringing you now and you’re refusing to answer. You see, you can’t have known Banayoti for many years in Jordan, because up to last year he wasn’t called Edward Banayoti. So did you know him under his previous name or did you not know him for many years at all, but met him after he changed his name last year?”

TD: “What was his other name? Do you know the name?”

Me: “Yes, Ernie or Ernest Anderson. He ran a Ponzi scheme out of Ontario. So can you confirm that you’re helping him in his negotiations with the government, to buy Air Malta?”

TD: “Helping him? I’m in it with him, not just helping him.”

Me: “Could you repeat that again, please? Do I understand correctly that you are involved in the Banayoti company that will buy Air Malta if negotiations with the government are successful?”

TD (realising that he had said too much there): “Look, I don’t have to talk to you, OK. Bye.”

Anthony de Bono as he is now

Tony Debono as he was then