Malta Files: Muscat refuses to take responsibility for reputational damage to Malta/shrugs off journalists’ questions this morning

At a stiff and tense press conference this morning, at which he was accompanied by the Finance Minister, Joseph Muscat shrugged off questions by Net News, Malta Today and the Times of Malta about reputational damage caused to Malta by his handling of the Panama scandal.

Interestingly, the three news organisations backed each other up on the question. Net asked first:

“Ma hemmx dubju li s-sistema finanzjarja tagħna hi bbażata fuq liġi soda, bl-approvazzjoni tal-UE. Iżda ma hemmx dubju li, kif wissewk il-prattikanti fis-settur, inti poġġejt din l-istruttura taħt il-lenti meta ddeċidejt li żżomm miegħek lil Keith Schembri u Konrad Mizzi, minflok keċċejthom. Terfa’ r-responsabbilta’ ta’ dan kollu?”

Muscat brushed off the question, first claiming that it has nothing to do with the Panama issue.

So the journalist from Malta Today said that his question was the same, and repeated it in another form.

Again, Muscat brushed it off, his furrow deepening. And the journalist from the Times of Malta took up the same line of questioning, too. But no joy.