In the process of electing 17 new MPs, the Nationalist Party lost two of its most iconic figures: an ultra-conservative shopkeeper, and a sanctimonious lawyer who reinvented himself as the PN’s fire-and-brimstone anti-corruption crusader. JAMES DEBONO explores their legacy
As amply demonstrated in the billboard tit-for-tat, Labour still banks on Nationalist hypocrisy to divert attention from criticism of its intimacy with big business. But does lashing out at double standards help in fixing the broken republic?
Former Malta Gaming Authority CEO Heathcliff Farrugia colluded with murder suspect Yorgen Fenech to try to prevent the publication of findings of an inspection revealing weak anti-money laundering controls at the Tumas Gaming casinos.
The two casinos, which were at the time run by Fenech as Tumas Gaming’s CEO, were the subject of a joint compliance inspection by the FIAU and MGA in 2018 to ensure their adherence with laws designed to prevent money laundering.
Inspectors found several breaches of these laws, including a “complete failure” to establish the source of funds and wealth of the casino customers.
The findings also highlighted how the money-laundering reporting officer at the casinos struggled to prove his knowledge of the relevant anti-money laundering laws.