PN: Attorney General in cahoots with PL to cover up Pilatus Bank scandal

The Nationalist Party has accused the Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg of being in cahoots with the Labour Party in trying to cover up the Pilatus Bank scandal.

“It is unacceptable that a person against whom Magistrate Ian Farrugia ordered the issuing of an International Arrest Warrant is not be arrested, despite being in our country,” the PN said.

On Monday morning, civil society NGO Repubblika claimed a former operations supervisor from Pilatus Bank was allowed to leave the country despite an arrest warrant for him, due to inaction from both the Attorney General and the police.

The accusation was made by Repubblika president Robert Aquilina in the light of an affidavit sworn by lawyer Jason Azzopardi, together with court proceedings which the organisation filed against the AG and the Commissioner of Police this morning, over the failure to carry out the arrests, despite the warrants having been issued by a magistrate way back in March 2021.

The Opposition said Monday’s reports show the AG is abusing he Constitutional Independence she enjoys and her serious shortcomings continue to undermine the institution of the Attorney General and lead to maladministration in Justice.

The PN also noted how last January, the AG agreed on a plea bargain with one of the HSBC heist suspects Daren Debono it-Topo, while also clearing Yorgen Fenech’s lawyers of attempted bribery after she indicated the wrong article of law in the note of referral a couple of weeks ago.

“The PN calls on the Attorney General to immediately take responsibility and step aside from her post,” it said. “This is the only honourable path left.”