International criminal group defrauding Malta must be prosecuted

An international consortium of journalists has laid bare the ownership of offshore companies Macbridge International Development Co Ltd and Dow’s Media Co Ltd, confirming what Daphne Caruana Galizia had reported five years ago: that a criminal entanglement of political and illicit business interests that stretches across the world sat at the heart of Joseph Muscat’s government.

We call for fresh charges to be pressed against Yorgen Fenech, Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi, and for Cheng Chen to be extradited to Malta to face justice. We also expect former prime minister Joseph Muscat’s role in the Shanghai Electric Power and Montenegro wind farm deals to be fully investigated by the Maltese authorities.

Action must be taken against Accenture, Cheng Chen’s employer and a consultant on the part-sale of Malta’s state energy company to Chinese state-owned enterprise Shanghai Electric Power in 2013. Accenture has known about Chen’s implication in corruption and illicit offshore dealings since 2016 and has chosen to retain him, suggesting that his actions are endorsed by his employer.

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation continues to support those whose investigative work brings us closer to truth and justice for Daphne and for her unfinished work.