European socialists shocked by forged Egrant documents, welcome findings

It is “deeply troubling and shocking” that forged documents and falsified signatures were used to allege links between Joseph Muscat’s family and Egrant, the European socialists said.

PES President Sergei Stanishev welcomed the Egrant inquiry conclusions that ruled out any connection between Muscat and his family and accusations of money laundering and corruption.

Stanishev said he is proud that Muscat was cleared from all accusations, adding that the Maltese prime minister could now continue “full steam ahead” with reforms for equality and social justice.

Stanishev noted that the independent judicial inquiry findings were unanimously accepted across the Maltese political landscape. However, he expressed concern at how the Opposition had rode on these allegations.

“The PES is worried by the information, that the Maltese Nationalist Party, part of the European People’s Party, took ownership of the false allegations and tried to lead the country in political turmoil,” Stanishev said.

He added that the PES believes political parties should earn the trust of their voters by proposing concrete measures to improve the lives of their citizens, rather than “scheme over falsified evidence”.