The comments attributed to Minister Edward Scicluna in regard to the Panama Papers, involving Minister without Portfolio Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri, are very worrying and certainly not befitting a man in his position.

It appears Scicluna may be either underestimating the gravity of the financial misdemeanours of Mizzi and Schembri or, worse, he may be attempting to sweep the sordid scandal under the carpet.

By downplaying the ramifications of Mizzi’s and Schembri’s involvement in the Panama Papers, the Finance Minister may be rendering himself an accomplice to a potential financial crime, particularly so since money-laundering and tax evasion fall directly under his remit.

Apparently, political rectitude does not mean anything to Premier Joseph Muscat and his ministerial colleagues.