Keith Schembri, the Office of the Prime Minister’s former chief of staff, and 10 others will face a magistrate over charges linked to a money laundering inquiry.

Police have so far confirmed that 11 people, nine men and two women, will be charged with accusations related to money laundering, fraud, and corruption.

Lovin Malta is informed that the people will be arraigned separately- given that they are subject to different charges.

The people to be charged are as yet unnamed. However, several people were brought in by police for interrogation earlier today over an inquiry linked to a money laundering operation between Schembri and former Allied Newspapers Managing Director Adrian Hillman, who is not in Malta but is expected to be extradited to the country.

These included Schembri’s father, Alfie; his wife, Josette, Malcolm Scerri; who is the CEO of Kasco Group; Matthew Pace, Lorraine Falzon of Zenith; Brian Tonna and Karl Cini of Nexia BT; and Vince Buhagiar, the managing director of Allied Newspapers Ltd before Hillman. 

The potential charges follow an inquiry into a leaked Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit report which found that Schembri had channelled over €650,000 to Hillman in suspicious payments between 2011 and 2015 in a deal which saw his company, Kasco, supply a printing press to Times of Malta in 2018.

It is believed that the funds were transferred via a number of offshore companies and accounts based in Gibraltar and Switzerland, as well as the infamous Pilatus Bank.

However, it seems that the charges could be also related to an inquiry related to a suspected passport kickbacks scheme between Schembri and Nexia BT’s Brian Tonna.

Just a few days ago, Schembri broke the news that he will be charged over the conclusions of the inquiry, claiming that the inquiry was a ploy by the “establishment” to harm the Labour Party.

“In a few more days I will be charged. Not because I committed a crime. For the establishment, the ‘crime’ of which I am guilty is my participation as part of a team led by Joseph Muscat which led to a series of electoral victories for the party I love so much,” Schembri wrote on Facebook.

Gianfranco Stellini, in his capacity as a director, was questioned but never charged with any offence.