MALTA ARRESTS DO NOT AFFECT U.S. INVESTIGATIONS, WHICH CONTINUE TO EXPAND IN SCOPE

 

 The public shock over the local arrest of Keith Schembri, the former Chief of Staff in the Office of the Prime Minister, will have absolutely no effect upon the progress of the unfolding multiple American law enforcement investigations into money laundering, terrorist financing, corruption, and the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program, in the Republic of Malta, according to a senior source who has consistently and reliably provided details of the investigations, which have accelerated during the past thirty days. While he states that the arrests may serve as a distraction, or a bone thrown to MONEYVAL, they will not deter the American cases in any manner.

Given that ex-COF Shembri, said to be until very recently the most powerful man in Malta, even eclipsing the former Prime Minister, Joseph Musca, was released on bond, and not charged, after local law enforcement has had four and one-half years to collect evidence of his obvious guilt, means that Malta's justice system still cannot be trusted to follow the Rule of Law, and avoid its heritage of abject corruption, according to a different American source. The source explained that, while any Maltese politician convicted and actually serving a prison sentence might escape extradition, that there will remain a large number of suspects who will still face justice inside American courtrooms in New York or Miami. This also does not effect any proceedings that may be brought in EU criminal courts, where at least three investigations are known to be active.

The Schembri arrest and, two related arrests, which are believed to have resulted from the effects of the placement of serious pressure upon Malta's Police, will have no effect upon the US cases. Given that Malta's criminal justice system  has a reputation for a total lack of the application of swift justice, or any justice at all, for that matter, your blogger does not expect that Keith Schembri will be charged with criminal activity, or if he is eventually charged, that he will ever serve one day in prison in Malta for his crimes. He can well afford to buy his way out of trouble. Malta's criminal justice system is broken, and cannot be easily repaired, give the undue influence of the political party currently in power,  their illicit wealth, and their unknown, but very powerful, foreign benefactors.

 

 

The posture of the US investigations remains unchanged, and any thoughts by the public that a couple of arrests by local authorities have had the effect of supplanting them is not realistic. The show will go on; the only question is when, MP Muscat and Labour Party associates, in case you are asking.