No payments, wage transfers from ministries to Pilatus Bank

No employee wages or money transfers were ever made from the Office of the Prime Minister and entities under its remit to bank accounts at Pilatus Bank, Joseph Muscat said.

The Prime Minister was answering a parliamentary question put to him by Nationalist MP Karol Aquilina, who queried whether any such transfers were made to Pilatus Bank since 2013.

Aquilina put the same question to Health Minister Chris Fearne, Economy Minister Chris Cardona, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo, Energy Minister Joe Mizzi and European Affairs Minister Helena Dalli.

All replies yielded negative answers. No wages, money transfers or payments were ever made by these ministries or entities falling under their remit to bank accounts in Pilatus Bank since 2013.

Pilatus Bank, a Ta’ Xbiex-based private bank, has been at the centre of money laundering allegations involving, among others Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff Keith Schembri. The bank has denied any wrongdoing.

Read also: Casa hands new evidence to ECB on 'money laundering organisation' Pilatus Bank

The bank had also been mentioned as holding an account for Egrant, the third mysterious company opened in Panama by Nexia BT, a financial services firm, shortly after the 2013 election.

Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia had alleged that declarations of trust belonging to Egrant, held at Pilatus Bank, had shown that the company belonged to Michelle Muscat, the Prime Minister's wife. The Muscats had denied the allegations and also called for a magisterial inquiry into the claims.

In all their are five inquiries that in some way or another involve Pilatus Bank, Mizzi, Schembri and Muscat. None of the magisterial inquiries have been concluded and all parties have denied wrongdoing.