A board of inquiry was appointed today to look into allegations reported on Malta Today that the police failed to pursue an investigation into money laundering by an international firm when the name of one of its then directors, Beppe Fenech Adami, cropped up.

Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said the inquiry would be led by retired judge Joseph Camilleri. The other board members are former judges Lawrence Quintano and Philip Scibberas.

Dr Bonnici said the board has been tasked to look at four central allegations: that a public authority withheld information it had in its possession; that the authority did not cooperate with the Dutch authorities investigating this case; that a company in Malta made suspicious monetary transactions; and that certain institutions did not carry out their duty to investigate an illicit activity.

Dr Fenech Adami has denied knowledge of the case. 

The board has been given till January 16, 2017 to conclude its inquiry.

Malta Today reported that the investigation was "ostensibly" not pursued further when Dr Fenech Adami’s name cropped up.

The newspaper claimed that a file compiled by investigators in January 2013 was marked “bring up in three months” on January 31 that year.

By April 2013, the Dutch authorities had dropped their charges due to a lack of evidence, and the file containing the investigations into the company that Dr Fenech Adami was a director of marked “put away”.

Questioned if Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, who at the time was deputy attorney general (and had reportedly been in touch with the Dutch company) should resign from her post pending the investigation, Dr Bonnici said he had informed the Chief Justice personally of the Prime Minister’s intention to hold an inquiry.

Asked why a similar inquiry had not been held into the allegations against Minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Dr Bonnici said he would refrain from passing political comments

Asked by the Times of Malta why a similar inquiry had not been held into the allegations against Minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Dr Bonnici said he would refrain from passing political comments.

When it was pointed out to him that allegations had been made about the failure of the police to proceed against Dr Mizzi and Mr Schembri, Dr Bonnici again declined to pass “political comments”.

Dr Bonnici said the inquiry was not being held to castigate a political opponent, but was based on matters of law and order and allegations that an authority (the police) did not carry out an investigation.

Asked what criteria the government uses when deciding inquiries should be held, Dr Bonnici said these were held when the allegations were serious.

In a statement yesterday, the PN asked why the government had failed to act on these allegations since assuming power three and a half years ago.

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