Speaker of the House Anġlu Farrugia has denied being placed under any pressure to block two parliamentary questions (PQs) about Keith Schembri’s financial dealings.

PN good governance spokesman Simon Busuttil attempted to file the two PQs, asking if the Prime Minister’s chief of staff has, or ever had, bank accounts in Dubai or at Pilatus Bank in Malta.

Leaked e-mails from the Panama Papers show Mr Schembri’s financial advisers Nexia BT wanted to open a bank account in Dubai for his once-secret Panama company Tillgate.

The leaked e-mails do not show if this attempt to open up the Dubai account was successful, as unlike previous attempts, Nexia BT did not try to open the account through the notorious Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca.

Nexia BT said in other e-mails that Mr Schembri’s Panama company would receive funds from the Dubai-based company 17 Black. The State’s anti-money laundering agency (FIAU) traced a payment to 17 Black from a local company linked to the LNG tanker powering the new power station.

Mr Schembri himself has admitted to having a Pilatus Bank account.

Dr Busuttil was informed that the questions about the bank accounts could not be asked, as they were not in line with Parliament’s rules.

Contacted by The Sunday Times of Malta, Dr Farrugia said there was no pressure from anyone to block the PQs. The Speaker said the decision to block the questions was not about the person involved but about Parliament’s Standing Orders.

Dr Farrugia, a former Labour Party deputy leader who was forced to resign in 2012 by Dr Muscat, said his obligation as Speaker of the House was to ensure that those rules were obeyed.

Former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil has in the past months asked a series of PQs about Mr Schembri’s business interests.

The Prime Minister has refused to answer the majority of them, on the basis that the information is already public.

Asked if his decision to block the PQs meant Mr Schembri was above parliamentary scrutiny, the Speaker said the chief of staff fell under the Prime Minister’s scrutiny.

He said the scrutiny extended to the work Mr Schembri carried out under the Prime Minister’s remit.

Other matters not related to public affairs or to any business of the House were excluded by virtue of the standing orders, Dr Farrugia said.

Dr Busuttil has appealed the Speaker’s ruling to block the PQs, saying it sets a very dangerous precedent by limiting parliamentary work in a way which was not acceptable in a democracy.

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