Karl Cini is to again be hauled before a parliamentary probe into the Electrogas power station contract after refusing to answer any questions during his last appearance.
The Nexia BT director stonewalled questions about potential corruption in the power station project and would not even confirm what he does for a living.
Cini was instrumental in the setting up of secretive offshore structures by former government officials Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri.
Opposition members on parliament’s public accounts committee took umbrage at Cini’s refusal to answer their questions. PAC chairman Darren Carabott reported Cini’s stance to parliament Speaker Anġlu Farrugia who, in turn, ruled that witnesses cannot invoke their right to silence arbitrarily.
Farrugia said witnesses can, however, opt not to answer questions if they are facing criminal charges on the matter being discussed during committee proceedings or if they feel that they would be incriminating themselves by answering those questions.
The ruling prompted Carabott to again summon Cini before the committee.
'Client will clear name 'in proper forum'
During the sitting this week, Cini’s lawyer, Stephen Tonna Lowell argued that his client will clear his name “in the proper forum”.
Cini’s stock reply to all questions put to him by the committee was: “I will exercise my right to silence.” He is facing money-laundering charges over a case unrelated to Electrogas. The charges centre on allegations of kickbacks between Schembri and former Progress Press chairman Adrian Hillman.
Although Schembri and Mizzi have been banned from travelling to the United States over suspicions of corruption in the Electrogas contract, they have yet to face charges in connection with the Panama scandal.
An inquiry into the Panama Papers scandal and secret company 17 Black is still ongoing. Owned by murder suspect and ex-Electrogas director Yorgen Fenech, 17 Black was set to pump millions into Schembri’s and Mizzi’s Panama companies, according to a leaked e-mail authored by Cini.
Schembri claims he intended to enter into business with Fenech “after politics”. Mizzi denies any link to 17 Black.