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WATCH: Malta’s Greylisting Will Not End Until Politicians Like Konrad Mizzi Are Convicted, Jason Azzopardi Warns

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Malta’s greylisting troubles will only end once leading countries around the world see the island take considerable action against a number of “corrupt” Maltese politicians, PN MP Jason Azzopardi has warned.

“This government is ensuring the impunity of Konrad Mizzi,” Azzopardi said during a live interview on Lovin Daily, which has moved to the evening 5.30pm slot.

“Does anyone believe the USA,” he continued, “which is a main player in the FATF, will accept Malta being taken off the greylist when you have major arrests… and not just arrests for goodness sake – they need convictions.”

Emphasising that Malta needed criminal convictions of high profile politicians to prove to the world it was taking corruption seriously, Azzopardi said they were looking for specific people.

“I’ve said it in Parliament and I’ve said it elsewhere. The US government will never concede Malta being taken off the greylist until certain individuals, especially PEPs – chief among them (former Energy Minister) Konrad Mizzi – are arraigned in court and convicted.”

“This is very important,” Azzopardi said. “What the other international bodies want to see is not just the number of arraignments, but the number convictions. It’s not a matter of quantity, but a matter of convictions”.

“We have Konrad Mizzi still lurking, running around and insisting he is a member of Parliament – and he’s a very corrupt person, the most corrupt person to step foot in Parliament, and I’ve challenged him to sue me over this and he cannot, because it’s true,” Azzopardi said strongly.

Azzopardi referred to other Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) as well as other ongoing inquiries, such as that of Pilatus Bank and John Dalli.

“Look at Pilatus Bank – just today we hear that the police are not looking at the account holders. Crazy,” he lamented.

“People have a right to know. Who is going to take responsibility for a morally and legally corrupt deal?”

When asked whether the PN in government would change this, he said: “The change in party will change the culture of impunity.”

Azzopardi touches upon other key topics, such as whether key court cases of national interest should be broadcast live, as is done abroad, as well as his continued belief that Prime Minister Robert Abela is only in his role due his predecessor, Joseph Muscat, wanting him there.

The interview was part of the Monday edition of Lovin Daily, which you can watch in it’s entirety below:

Lovin Daily has moved to 5.30pm from its former 10am slot, with Azzopardi appearing as the first guest on the show.

Let us know in the comments below what you thought of Azzopardi’s views on greylisting, national politics and Joseph Muscat’s legacy 

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Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]

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