Forensic experts tasked with looking into Pilatus Bank had recommended that offshore company Egrant be investigated again, Repubblika president Robert Aquilina reminded an audience during an anti-corruption protest in Valletta on Tuesday.

Aquilina quoted the experts saying: “We recommend the following:  seeking information from US authorities, or through a discovery application to US correspondent banks, of whether the alleged US$1.017 million Egrant transaction took place and if so which banks were involved.”

Robert Aquilina. Photo: Jonathan Borg

Former Pilatus Bank employee Maria Efimova had claimed a $1.01 million transaction was wired to the Panama company Egrant, which she further alleged was owned by Michelle Muscat, wife of then prime minister Joseph Muscat. 

An inquiry commissioned by Muscat into the claim had found no evidence that the Muscats were the ultimate beneficiaries of the funds.

The Pilatus Bank inquiry is distinct from that inquiry and its conclusions have not been made public. 

Repubblika has however given indications that it possesses a copy of the inquiry or its conclusions, drawing the ire of the magistrate leading it, Nadine Lia.

Aquilina said the inquiry into Pilatus Bank had also ordered Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà and Advocate General Victoria Buttigieg to take criminal action against the bank and its former officials Claude-Anne Sant Fournier, Luis Felipe Rivera, Mehmet Tasli, Seyed Ali Sadr Hasheminejad, Antoniela Jane Gauci and Mamidreza Ghanbari. 

Of those, only Sant Fournier has been charged with a crime. 

However, both the police commissioner and advocate general ignored the call, he said.

Repubblika has submitted a legal challenge over this inaction.

Aquilina was quoting a partial copy of the magisterial inquiry, which was notarized by himself under oath in court. 

Demonstators on the front line of the protest hold a banner ahead of others holding placards featuring Joseph Muscat, Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi.

A protester holds a placard featuring the image of former minister Chris Cardona. Photo: Jonathan Borg

A placard accused former minister and EU commissioner John Dalli of 'doing anything for money'. Photo: Jonathan Borg

Former top cop Silvio Valletta is 'yet to face justice', demonstrators said. Scroll right to see more images. Photo: Jonathan Borg

Photo: Jonathan Borg

Photo: Jonathan Borg

Photo: Jonathan Borg

Lia has been appointed magistrate in the case, a situation which to Repubblika is unacceptable, its president said. 

Lia is the daughter-in-law of Pawlu Lia, the lawyer of former prime minister Joseph Muscat and ex-lawyer of Keith Schembri, Muscat’s former chief of staff.

Aquilina said Pawlu Lia had intimidated him and demanded he no longer mention this fact, but the Repubblika president vowed to continue to reveal the truth.

Calls for 'justice' to be served on Muscat era indivduals 

The protest was organised by Repubblika, Occupy Justice and manueldelia.com, and saw a crowd of people march through Republic Street holding placards and banners.

Figures such as former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, his chief of staff Keith Schembri, former ministers Chris Cardona, Konrad Mizzi and John Dalli, former top policeman Silvio Valletta and construction magnate Joseph Portelli were all singled out in placards. 

The crowd chanted "we want action against corruption," "justice", "Castille is a criminal's nest", "Daphne was right" and "prison" as they marched. 

Manuel Delia, another speaker, focused on the new revelations related to the Electrogas power station deal.  

A security of supply deal for the power station consortium was made public last week by the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, which battled to obtain a copy of the contract.

Manuel Delia. Photo: Jonathan Borg

The deal laid bare the massive state guarantee that Electrogas was handed by the government, which put €432 million in taxpayer money on the line for the power station consortium.

That deal was signed by former energy minister Konrad Mizzi.

Delia said that the government had stepped to provide the massive guarantee because one of Electrogas’ own shareholders, Azeri energy firm SOCAR, did not trust the consortium.

On Monday, the opposition asked that Mizzi again be summoned before parliament’s public accounts committee in light of this new information.

The deal had risked the people’s money but [Electrogas shareholder] Yorgen Fenech and his posse’ would reap the rewards, Delia said. 

He said that journalists and activists now possessed proof, despite the best efforts of police commissioner Gafà and his predecessor Lawrence Cutajar. 

“Politicians of every stripe would ignore the smoke and say the fire was only in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s imagination,” Delia said. 

Joanna Agius of Occupy Justice said those at the top sleep soundly knowing the authorities will never take action against them. Photo: Jonathan Borg