Justice Minister Owen Bonnici told Parliament yesterday that Malta was united with the rest of the European Union in the fight against terrorism.
Introducing the second reading of a Bill to amend the Criminal Code, he said the Bill was timely in the light of the current threat from terrorism. It was crucial that Malta should be at the forefront to secure a safe Europe and there could not be any loophole to allow terrorists to take any advantage.
There was unanimous agreement on the definition of a foreign fighter: someone who left his country to join a terrorist group as laid out by the UN Security Council.
As soon as this Bill was passed through all stages, Malta would be sending a strong message that it was united with its neighbours in the fight against terrorism, Dr Bonnici said.
New tools would be introduced to freeze and confiscate any assets related to organised crime, especially when someone has fled the country.
There would also be measures for data sharing of those who were found to have financed terrorist activities. He was advocating a fast-track approach, to which the Opposition agreed.
The European Commission had always demonstrated its wish for Malta to take measures to use any confiscated property for public or social use. Both sides of the House had agreed on this.
While a new chance was to be given to genuine victims of drug abuse, the drug trafficker who became wealthy through his illegal activities would have his property confiscated.
The Bill empowers the Justice Minister to establish an Asset Recovery Bureau and he pledged that he would be in full consultation with the Opposition on how this would be set up.
Another amendment addres-sed money laundering and the financing of terrorism, which was in line with the UN anti-corruption convention.
It would now be illegal for one to travel with the aim of committing an act of terrorism, recruiting foreign fighters or disseminating terrorist propaganda.
Dr Bonnici noted that cyber attacks had increased dramatically in Europe, as had the distribution of malicious software, known as “botnets”, which remotely controlled computers to set off co-ordinated attacks on IT systems. It would now be considered a crime to carry out such cyber attacks.
The minister said the Bill would also make minor amendments, recommended in the Bonello Report, such as the rights of the accused and corporate responsibility when it came to criminality.