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[WATCH] Egrant | Magistrate says Panama company not Muscat’s, PM calls for Busuttil’s resignation

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to address press conference • Follow the live-blog here

matthew_vella
22 July 2018, 9:45am
by Matthew Vella
Joseph Muscat breaks down in tears as he mentions his children and wife and what they endured during the publication of the allegations on Egrant. (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)
Joseph Muscat breaks down in tears as he mentions his children and wife and what they endured during the publication of the allegations on Egrant. (Photo: James Bianchi/MediaToday)
15:23 Cyrus Engerer, the former Labour candidate, says he has spoken to Green MEP Sven Giegold:

 Matthew Vella
12:35 David Thake, a former PN candidate and PN radio jock, has just tweeted:
Matthew Vella
12:22 A tweet from the MFSA executive chairman Joseph Cuschieri.
 Matthew Vella
12:03 The 'luggage theory' has been disproven too by the inquiry.
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12:02 We are informed that there are police officers blocking access to Simon Busuttil's street in Lija. We were prevented from doorstepping the former Opposition leader. Matthew Vella
11:53 The Nationalist Party has just cancelled a press call for Adrian Delia's live phone-in to Net FM. Matthew Vella
11:36 Here's MaltaToday managing editor Saviour Balzan
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11:19 READ THE MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY CONCLUSIONS HERE

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11:18 The press conference is over. Matthew Vella
11:07 Joseph Muscat said the Magistrate has suggested what steps should be taken against the people who fabricated the Egrant lie. "In our country we do have the rule of law. I want the third part of the inquiry to be published. This part gives direction from the magistrate on the steps that should be taken against these people, without prejudicing the investigations." Matthew Vella
11:04 Joseph Muscat has broken down in tears as he speaks about his children. Matthew Vella
11:03 Tears are welling up in Muscat's eyes, as he talks about his wife: "She suffered hatred and bad looks, and I thank her for keeping strong. We cried together, not understanding who would lie about us in this manner. The day of truth has finally arrived. I thank my children, who suffered with us. None of their parents will go to jail." Matthew Vella
10:59 Joseph Muscat has just accused former PN leader Simon Busuttil of having invested wholesale in this "lie", in a bid to win power, and that his name will live on as a political failure and a participant in the biggest lie in Maltese political history. "Today, justice is being done with my country. I expect Simon Busuttil to resign from all his political posts in Malta and internationally. This is what I always said I would do. Now I want Busuttil to resign: he is the reason of an attempt at creating a political crisis. He had told me I could not occupy my post as Prime Minister on the basis of this calumny. So today I call on him to resign as MP. His only honourable way out is to resign. And I remind the current PN leader that he should remove Simon Busuttil from good governance spokesperson, and that he should ask him to resign. In the absence of this step, Delia would be tainting himself with this elaborate frame-up." Matthew Vella
10:54 Labour is going to put the spotlight on former TMID director Pierre Portelli, today PN leader Adrian Delia's right-hand man and head of PN comms, who is mentioned in the inquiry as having been unable to present convincing proof of his own assertions.
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10:50 Muscat: Maria Efimova lied. He quotes from the magistrate's report, which says it was hard to reconcile the versions given by Daphne Caruana Galizia, Maria Efimova, and former Malta Independent director (now PN head of communications) Pierre Portelli. Matthew Vella
10:49 Muscat has just said that nothing of the magistrate's findings will dampen his resolve to find the murderers who commissioned the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Matthew Vella
10:49 Joseph Muscat: Magistrate investigated allegations that evidence was smuggled out by Pilatus Bank chairman Ali Sadr, and found that allegations were not proven, and that inquiry has removed any doubt as to whether evidence was whisked out of the country on a flight to Azerbaijan. Matthew Vella
10:48 Former Green Party chairperson:
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10:47 The inquiry heard 477 witnesses, and employed dozens of international forensic experts to analyse the data lifted from the now shuttered Pilatus Bank.
The report concluded that:
1. No shares were found in the company Egrant Inc. that belonged to Michelle Muscat or could be linked to Joseph Muscat or his family members
2. It was not established that the Muscats, chief of staff Keith Schembri, minister Konrad Mizzi as well as former EU commissioner John Dalli “could be involved in corruption or money laundering or suspicious financial transactions” from accounts of Azerbaijani politically exposed persons, using the Pilatus banking system as alleged by Caruana Galizia in her 20 April, 2017 reports.
3. That the declarations of trust had been falsified by an unknown individual using information found on the Internet and the ICIJ website.
 Matthew Vella
10:46 Muscat: The report finds that the signatures were forged and that the declarations of trust were falsified by somebody unknown. Matthew Vella
10:46 Joseph Muscat is accusing his detractors of having tried to destabilise the country. Matthew Vella
10:45 Matthew Vella
10:45 Muscat: Declarations of trust have been found to be false. This was an elaborate and clear attempt at frame-up against my family and myself as Prime Minister. Matthew Vella
10:44 Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is live now: no evidence links my wife and I to Egrant, but no fact was proven as to the allegations about us. This was the biggest lie in the history of Maltese political history. It has been certified by a duty magistrate not chosen by myself, who enjoys the trust of everybody, and who established the facts to the smallest of details. And documents were falsified, including signatures, to be used as evidence against us. Matthew Vella
10:26 This is Labour official Cyrus Engerer:
 Matthew Vella
10:22 On One TV, Karl Stagno Navarra is reading out conclusions from the inquiry. Matthew Vella
10:22 Karl Stagno Navarra is saying he has a copy of the inquiry's conclusions: "There is no proof that the shares in Egrant belonged to Michelle Muscat or connected to her or the prime minister." Matthew Vella
10:21 Here's MaltaToday's front page today, which you can access directly here
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10:17 Labour anchor Karl Stagno-Navarra is playing reel upon reel of Nationalist MPs who in April 2017, took on Daphne Caruana Galizia's allegations wholesale, building their entire political campaign on the reports about Egrant. Matthew Vella
10:15 Labour's television channel One are live, of course... Labour MEP Miriam Dalli has just said that former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil and MEP David Casa "and their group" must resign. Matthew Vella
10:14 While the big reveal is taking place today, Saturday was clearly a day replete with speculation. Many Labour MPs took to Twitter with confident messages, suggesting a bullish mood:


Matthew Vella
09:54 Here are the morning must-reads:


 Matthew Vella
09:46 Good morning: Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will be holding a press conference on the Egrant inquiry today at 10:30am at Castille. Stay tuned. Matthew Vella

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Matthew Vella is executive editor at MaltaToday.
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