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Maltese Police mum over smuggling and drug IRA-Malta link

The police are keeping 'super mum' over the names of high profile Maltese who are being investigated in some very serious money laundering linked to drugs and cigarette smuggling in Northern Ireland. The money is linked to the indirect support of the terrorist organisation the IRA.

The media secrecy on the case contrasts with the hysteria from the Attorney General's office over other cases of alleged drug barons based on the evidence of a super grass.

Asked specifically on the involvement of certain Maltese personalities in local criminal investigations, the Maltese police simply reacted that they could not reply to MaltaToday's query.

This contrasts starkly with the well-known tradition of top police officials to leak tailored information to the pro-government media.

In the first week of December, 10 Maltese were called to testify behind closed doors in front of different magistrates.

The Maltese courts were reacting to court requests made by the Northern Ireland and Rotterdam courts.

The investigations are focused on the money laundering of millions of pounds from business coming from drug trafficking and smuggled cigarettes. Worse still, it is reported that the same Maltese were involved in the delivery of arms to the terrorist organisation, the IRA.

One of the Maltese who appeared in court - Ronald Agius - was represented by Patrick Spiteri, a well known lawyer, who specialises in the registration of foreign companies in Malta.

Dr Spiteri is also known for his involvement with CET, the tax regime that replaced VAT under Alfred Sant.

He is considered to be one of the most successful lawyers in the field.

The police would not confirm whether they were investigating anyone in particular. But a senior police source told MaltaToday that the people under investigation were far from the traditional type.

"Do not expect these hearings to be given in public, their lawyers will see to this," he said.

The treatment meted out to these individuals is distinctively different from that dished out to those accused of trafficking small quantities of drugs in Malta.

Worse still, many observers are sickened by the feeling that justice has two faces, especially for those found guilty by the media before being tried and those considered as untouchables.
But the money laundering still continues, and in Northern Ireland IRA bosses are charging 30p on every packet of cigarettes illegally smuggled into the North.

The tax levy is then siphoned off into Malta accounts. Individual operators make up to Sterling 10 clear profit on a carton of 200, even after paying their tax duty to the IRA.