Malta, Schembri accused of corruption and money laundering

ROMA (ITALPRESS) – Keith Schembri, former Chief-of-Staff of former Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was among 11 individuals who were questioned at the Policès Financial Crimes Unit on Saturday morning before they were escorted and arraigned in court early on Saturday evening.
Among those accused of corruption, money laundering and fraud, there were also Keith Schembri and his wife Josette; Malcolm Scerri, Schembrìs business partner and Brian Tonna together with Karl Cini from the accounting firm Nexia BT. Schembri was also accused of false testimony and forgery. Criminal charges were also issued against 20 companies related to all the accused.
All the accused were denied bail after pleaded not guilty to the accusations. Freezing orders were issued and the accused cannot transfer property and were granted an annual allowance of just over 13,000 euro.
In May 2017, former Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil presented evidence to court on alleged money laundering worth some 650,000 euro involving Keith Schembri and Adrian Hillman, former Managing Director of Allied Newspapers, between 2011 and 2015 through the use of offshore accounts in Gibraltar and Switzerland. In March 2016, assassinated Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia reported on the alleged crimes in March 2016.
Adrian Hillman is expected to be extradited to Malta from the United Kingdom to face justice.
(ITALPRESS).


Source: medNews