Witnesses appearing before the Public Accounts Committee cannot invoke their right to silence at their whims but only if the questions are incriminating, Speaker of the House Anġlu Farrugia ruled on Wednesday.
He said that witnesses can 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.
He was delivering a ruling at the request of Public Accounts Committee chairman Darren Carabott, who requested guidance after former Nexia BT partner Karl Cini refused to answer any of the questions put to him by the committee members on Tuesday.
Cini steadfastly refused to answer any questions put to him by Carabott. Throughout the 35-minute hearing, Cini repeatedly said that he would be exercising his right to silence.
He even refused to confirm his profession or elaborate on his role in Nexia BT.
Cini also refused to exclude the possibility of corrupt practices by former government officials Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri.
The Nexia BT director also refused to exclude the possibility of corruption by Mizzi and Schembri, instead exercising the right to silence when the question was put to him.
“I will exercise my right to silence", Cini consistently replied to the barrage of questions by Carabott.
Cini's lawyer Stephen Tonna Lowell said his client will "clear his name in the proper forum".
The former Nexia BT director was pivotal in setting up secretive offshore structures for Mizzi and Schembri.
Cini is facing money-laundering charges along with fellow Nexia BT partner Brian Tonna, as a result of a magisterial inquiry triggered by former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil.
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. 17 Black, owned by murder suspect and ex-Electrogas director Yorgen Fenech, 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.