‘Those close to Gaddafi family must assume responsibility’ – Tonio Borg

Answering questions at the end of a briefing to members of the Malta-EU Steering Action Committee (MEUSAC), Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said that although he does not know to whom of the Gaddafi family the €87 million in assets, which remain frozen in Malta, belong, "there will come a time when it will be known who were the Maltese partners who worked with the Gaddafis".

Borg was questioned by Alternativa Demokrattiva spokesman for foreign affairs Arnold Cassola, who urged the minister to be cautious when selecting members of the Maltese business community to participate in a trade delegation to Libya.

“You must ensure that out of the 320 businessmen, who want to go to Libya as a trade delegation, do not include people who have fattened their pockets through their very close ties with different members of the Gaddafi family.”

Cassola said that it is unacceptable to find out through the media that a former treasurer of the Malta Labour Party hosted a company belonging to Muatassim Gaddafi at his home address, and also assisted him in obtaining Bank of Valletta credit cards.

The minister replied that “it is impossible to know everything about everyone especially due to the Data Protection Act but as Wikileaks recently revealed details on my conversations with US ambassador details of this sort will eventually be made known”.

Active credit cards issued by Bank of Valletta and found inside Muatassim Gaddafi’s wallet the day he was captured have revealed a Malta address for the slain son of Col. Gaddafi.

The gold and platinum Bank of Valletta Visa cards, both bearing the name ‘Dr  Muatasmbllah Abumi’ were confirmed to belong to Muatassim Gaddafi, under  an abbreviated alias of the uncommonly used Muatassim-Billah Abuminyar Muammar. (son of Muammar).

The cards, together with other personal objects, were taken off Muatassim by the Misurata fighters who captured him and his father Col. Gaddafi as they attempted to escape from Sirte on 20 October.

The cards – issued by BOV last year and expire in 2013 – also revealed information on Muatassim’s financial ties in Malta.

Embossed beneath Muatassim’s name was the company’s account name – Capital Resources Ltd – which following investigations, was discovered to be registered in Malta, under an address which mysteriously doesn’t exist.

According to a company search, Capital Resources Limited is addressed at a house in James Street in Qawra.

Last year, the New York Post revealed that Muatassim Gaddafi was client to former Labour Party treasurer Joe Sammut, an auditor and financial advisor from Mosta.

Sammut reportedly handled hundreds of thousands of dollars on behalf of Muatassim Gaddafi, and was said to be involved in organising parties featuring Snoop Dog, Nelly Furtado, and Enrique Iglesias (among others), for the entertainment of Gaddafi’s sons.

Contacted by MaltaToday, Joe Sammut refused to say if he was involved in the setting up of Capital Resources Ltd, and whether he handled the BOV accounts for Muatassim while he was on the run.

Sammut insisted that he had nothing to say: “I am bound by professional secrecy not to say anything.”