A few days ago, quizzed by Times of Malta, Prime Minister Muscat stated that he would no longer answer any questions on 17 Black because, according to him, he has answered all questions on the topic.

I pity the guy. His body language betrays him. He is so uncomfortable when he has to cover up for the proven delinquent Keith Schembri and his bosom buddy, Konrad Mizzi.

He knows their position is indefensible, yet, he persists – against all logic – in defending and covering up for them.

Even to the point of giving up the prestigious post of European Union Council President. Amazing! Who knows what is behind all this?

To be honest, we do not need Muscat to comment on 17 Black because we know exactly what it is.

17 Black was first brought up by Daphne Caruana Galizia, accompanied by the photos of Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri, John Dalli and Muscat.

While we still have no idea why she put up the photos of Muscat and Dalli, today we know very well the reason behind Mizzi and Schembri’s appearance in this star line-up of this Panini collection.

A year after Caruana Galizia’s assassination, we got to know from the leaked Electrogas documents on her computer – which fortunately ended up in safe hands – that 17 Black was a secret account set up in Dubai by Yorgen Fenech, CEO of Electrogas.

This account was probably set up by Fenech with the intention of greasing the palms of those who could, in any way, facilitate his business interests.

And, written in black on white in a Karl Cini (of Nexia BT) e-mail to Mossack Fonseca is the clear assertion that 17 Black was meant to be a target client of Hearnville and Tillgate, the two companies set up secretly in Panama for Schembri and Mizzi by Nexia BT. 

As the pressure on the Panama crooks increases, will we ever get to know who the owner of the Maltese Macbridge is?

It is interesting to understand why the account was called 17 Black. Our Fenech has far-reaching interests, from the construction industry to hotels, from energy plants to horse racing, and who knows what else. 

Casinos are also among Fenech’s top interests and 17 Black happens to be one of the numbers of a casino roulette. So, basically, the secret account in Dubai was named after a precise interest of its owner. 

Cini’s e-mail reveals that Macbridge was supposed to be the other target client of Mizzi and Schembri’s secret companies in Panama.

Being quite an inquisitive person by nature, I asked myself the question: “If 17 Black was thus called because its owner was interested in casinos, is Macbridge called as such because its mysterious owner was interested in a particular activity and the name reflects this”?

So I googled the word ‘Macbridge’. Scores of items come up linking this word to a famous bridge in Michigan, US. This bridge is officially known as the Mackinac Bridge and is described as one of the world’s most beautiful bridges and truly something to see! 

Built between 1953 and 1957, it cost around $100 million to be completed and, always according to Google, this bridge, popularly known as ‘Big Mac’ or the ‘Mighty Mac’, is considered to be the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world. It is approximately five miles long and connects the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. “The engineering of the Mackinac Bridge was designed to accommodate the high winds, temperature changes and constant changes of weight”.

So, basically, according to Google, Macbridge is this famous bridge that connects the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan, one of the US states, whose largest and most populated city is Detroit.

As for Detroit, the city is known the world over as the centre of the US automobile industry.

So, the US Macbridge is related in more ways than one to cars.

But, unfortunately, Google stops there: it does not tell us anything about the owner of the Maltese Macbridge. Pity! 

As time goes by, and as the pressure on the Panama crooks increases, will we ever get to know who the owner of the Maltese Macbridge is?

I must admit that I am quite confident that, at some stage or other, someone will lose his tether and spill the beans about the Macbridge account owner. 

At that stage, the word ‘Macbridge’ will certainly deserve another Google entry, other than the present one. And its definition will also include the name of another crook or two involved in corruption in Malta.

We all patiently await for this to happen.

Arnold Cassola, academic and politician, is former secretary general of the European Green Party and former member of the Italian Parliament.