ANOTHER CLUE EXPLAINS ITALY'S FOCUS ON MALTA MONEY LAUNDERING

 

Readers of our recent article on the Italian investigation into money laundering allegedly in present operation at one of Malta's fashion houses have been asking me why the Government of Italy is so interested in what must be, in comparison to that country's huge fashion firms, a small company. There are apparently two reasons.

First of all, a major fashion company in Milan figures prominently in the money laundering enterprise the Malta company is conducting. Remember, the inventory must come from somewhere. Any retail laundering operation must have a cooperating source of supply, especially one which has no reservations about inflating quantity and pricing of goods, especially luxury goods, and playing fast and loose with the truth is a plus.

Second, one of our local sources has definitely linked the Malta-based operation to what we refer to as traditional Italian Organized Crime. You probably refer to it as the Mafia when discussing the subject. These are people who, once you are doing business with them, you dare not drop out for any reason, due to the probable consequences that will ensue. You know, the kind of people that you do not want to run into at night on a dark street, unless you have an appointment.

For those readers who have continued to demand that we use our best efforts to verify all our information, we are pleased to report that the organized crime connection has been confirmed by a source having what you might call a professional relationship. The link is verified, without a doubt.

While we would like to publish facts & figures on the Malta business, we know that any such disclosures, in a public forum, would simply invite litigation. Therefore, we are going to turn our evidence over to the relevant law enforcement agency, the same one presently engaged in that massive money laundering investigation that we have been covering in recent months. I cannot trust Malta's law enforcement or regulatory agencies, as they are obviously under outside influence.

A final note; if you wondered why certain prominent Maltese took a number of unexplained trips to Sicily, now you have your answer. read between the lines, please.