MALTESE WHISTLEBLOWER EXPOSES ATTEMPTED TEN BILLION DOLLAR DEPOSIT INTO TINY PRIVATE BANK BY HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUAL LINKED TO MONEY LAUNDERING AND EX-PM JOSEPH MUSCAT

                             

Mark Camilleri, a former senior leader in Malta's Labour Party, who regularly exposes official corruption amongst his former party, and who has now acquired a reputation as an effective whistleblower in money laundering matters, has alleged that Maltese millionaire YORGEN FENECH, now awaiting trial for his alleged involvement in the assassination of investigative journalist DAPHNE CARUANA GALIZIA, attempted to move Ten Billion Dollars (USD$10,000,000,000) into a small European private bank, for a Middle Eastern billionaire, when he was arrested in Malta. The transaction, which flies in the face of not only sound banking practices, as it was six times the amount of the tiny bank's assets, was attempted for an individual who has been linked to the disgraced former Prime Minister of Malta, JOSEPH MUSCAT. Fenech and Muscat, you will recall, are both connected to the Egrant/17 Black corruption scandal.

Muscat, once identified as the most corrupt public leader in the European Union, has known this mysterious individual since he came into office a decade ago. The deposit itself, given the client's background and history, raises questions of money laundering and corruption. The bank, diminutive BANQUE HAVILLAND (Liechtenstein) AG, of Luxembourg, has strangely taken the deposit in its Monaco office. Fenech, who is known to have holdings in Monaco and southern France, has been a close associate of Muscat for several years, and is believed to have been a significant factor in his original election to the premiership. As Mr. Camilleri correctly says, private banks are often used for money laundering; neither Liechtenstein nor Monaco are Members of the European Union.

Fenech remains in custody in Malta, so Muscat's role in the matter has now come under scrutiny in the EU compliance community. Whether this obscenely huge, and unusual, transaction signifies we cannot say. Cash deposits of this magnitude, which generally precede major acquisitions, reportedly remains within the bank, for no apparent legitimate business reason. What is this money to be used for? we cannot say, but suffice it to say we will