Prime Minister Robert Abela confirmed on Monday that no agreement giving special status to US military personnel in Malta had been signed.

He also denied that a possible SOFA agreement was linked to getting US support to avoid international blacklisting for Malta over money-laundering concerns.

Abela made the denial in parliament in reply to questions from Opposition MP Beppe Fenech Adami who asked about the government’s position on the matter.

The issue is believed to have been on the agenda of a meeting held last week between the Prime Minister and US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper at Castille.

Abela noted that this kind of arrangement known as Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) had been debated for years going back to Nationalist governments before 2013.  Although reports claimed that a possible deal was a form of quid pro quo for US support when Malta’s anti-money laundering measures were evaluated by Monenyval, there was no connection whatsoever.

Abela took a dig at newly-elected Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech, saying a major concern flagged by Moneyval was the practice of Maltese tax authorities to seek a settlement with “persistent tax defaulters” in order to avoid criminal proceedings in court.

Abela pointed out that both outgoing Opposition leader Adrian Delia and his successor had over the years defaulted on their tax bills, only to settle the dues at a later stage in a bid to avoid criminal proceedings.

While Grech settled his dues when he became a candidate for the PN leadership, Delia still owes €60,000 to the taxman.