Imagine a serious country led by a serious prime minister, wherever in the world. Not Malta. The Prime Minister’s chief of staff and the energy minister visit Azerbaijan on government business. They keep the visit under wraps. They only admit the visit was about to happen because the leading newspaper in the country reveals they were leaving on the very same day.

The hastily issued government statement confirms it. They take no civil servants with them on this visit. No diplomats. No experts from the state-owned corporation directly related to the object of the visit, energy hedging agreements.

Don’t be deceived by the similarity; this is not Malta, as you will see further down.

Fast forward three months and the State audit office is requested to examine the hedging of fuel prices by the energy corporation. The auditor notes the lack of complete documentation in the hedging agreements from which the country lost €14 million.

He also notes the ‘ministerial direction’ to the energy corporation, ‘suggesting’ Azerbaijan as a supplier, which the energy corporation duly followed.

Despite the similarities, it’s not Malta.

Fast forward another 12 months. We get to know that at the same time of the Azerbaijan visit, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff and his top minister open secret companies in Panama.

If Panama is not secret enough, they further hide their secret Panama companies in secret trusts in New Zealand. Obliged to declare his trust to the Commissioner of Revenue, the energy minister doesn’t and thus breaks the law.

These facts are revealed in the website of a long-standing journalist and critic of the government. The facts are correct because both top associates of the Prime Minister admit as much to the newspapers. We have imagined this to be a serious country led by a serious Prime Minister.

What happens next is obvious. The Prime Minister calls the press and announces he has just dismissed his top two associates who will not be allowed any access to any government documentation or communication, be it electronic or otherwise.

However much money there is or there isn’t in this complex and secret financial set-up half a world away, the very fact that it was set up is dishonourable

He says he has informed the leader of the Opposition of his decisions and keeping him regularly informed about key developments.

The Prime Minister says that it is up to the autonomous institutions of the country – the police, the state attorney, the commission against corruption, and the state auditor among others – to fulfil their duties independently of government.

He explains that the government is not the appropriate institution to investigate, and prosecute if warranted by the evidence, and that his two top associates now dismissed are only guilty when found to be so by the courts and other independent institutions.

But the Prime Minister states that what they have admitted to have done is unethical and questionable behaviour not fitting for a minister and an éminence grise; this warrants and obliges immediate dismissal.

The Prime Minister says that, however much money there is or there isn’t in this complex and secret financial setup half a world away, the very fact that it was set up is dishonourable. This complex set-up definitely leads to the conclusion that itwas going to receive substantial amounts of money.

If these funds were to be received in a secret financial set-up in secretive jurisdictions, then it is only logical to conclude that the origin of the funds is at best questionable and at worst downright illicit.

He says that the fact that his chief of staff and his topmost minister acted together makes matters even worse.

The Prime Minister announces that, if the State auditor does not move of his own will to investigate all contracts in which his former chief of staff or his energy minister had any role, he as Prime Minister will request him to do so.

The Prime Minister says he has acted fast because he wants to prevent this affair from tarnishing the country’s reputation, his government’s standing and his party’s commitment to accountability.

He invites all those who have any further information, however critical or sceptical they may be of government, to make it available publicly or to the appropriate institutions so that these can proceed with thorough investigations.

The Prime Minister thanks the independent press, which in its very nature should be critical of government and keep it to account, for having revealed facts that challenge government to show its intent and effectiveness in fighting corruption.

Answering questions by the press, the Prime Minister explains that his relationship with his chief of staff should be one of absolute trust. He says that his chief of staff has betrayed his trust and friendship and has to go.

The Prime Minister declares he never knew about his two top associates’ secret companies and trusts; had he known, he would of course have dismissed them there and then.

As to his top minister, the Prime Minister says he has to be dismissed for at least three reasons. One: he broke the law. Two: anyone negotiating with a minister knowing he holds or held secret companies in secretive jurisdictions would assume – however wrongly that might be – that the minister is inviting bribes, that the government is corrupt and that, therefore, Malta is a place of sleaze. Third: the perception itself of corruption – even if it were not reality – harms Malta and especially the financial services sector previous governments so painstakingly built.

The Prime Minister also justifies his decision that both his top minister and his chief of staff not be allowed access to any government communication or documentation. This is in order not to allow them, or to be seen to allow them, to tamper with any evidence.

This is in the interests of justice and ultimately fair to them as well in case they are innocent of anything illegal, which the Prime Minister still hopes to be the case.

After his announcement to the press, Parliament convenes and the Prime Minister gives a ministerial declaration on the issue. He says he will appoint a new minister of energy on the morrow but there will be no reshuffle so as not to create further upheaval in the government which he wants to remain focused.

After a few days, the same journalist says in her website that the former chief of staff to the Prime Minister also had secret companies in the British Virgin Islands together with the managing director of the leading newspaper. She alleges this case is one of bribery. The managing director resigns and the newspaper management launch an investigation headed by a retired and much respected judge.

Again: don’t be fooled by the similarities. This is not Malta.

The Prime Minister assembles the press and lauds the newspaper management for having acted immediately. He says he feels vindicated that he acted so fast a few days previously because these further revelations add credibility to the previous ones.

He reiterates that all should be deemed innocent until proven guilty but public life requires very high standards.

The Prime Minister again requests anyone with further knowledge to make it available to the investigators and thanks the journalist who made these revelations.

Can you not applaud such a Prime Minister? Isn’t that the right response to scandals the likes of which we’re living in Malta right now? But you can see the Prime Minister’s response above is not the Maltese Prime Minister’s.

It’s already late, but we badly need a serious Prime Minister with a genuine response to the Panama and British Virgin Islands scandals. Otherwise we can only conclude that he’s in it as much as his right-hand and left-hand men.