Minister Without Portfolio Konrad Mizzi has refused to reply to questionsasking if his Panama company has been closed.
Last February, Dr Mizzi had said he would close the company after the Inland Revenue Commissioner carried out a tax audit.
This audit is separate to the private one commissioned by Dr Mizzi to show that no bank accounts were held in his Panama company’s name.
Both audits have yet to see the light of day.
Asked if his Panama operation has been closed down, and if so, to provide proof, e-mails sent by The Sunday Times of Malta to two of Dr Mizzi’s communications staff were completely ignored.
The minister has always maintained that the Panama company was set up as a “family planning” decision.
Leaked e-mails found in the Panama Papers show that Dr Mizzi’s company was to operate in the fields of remote gaming, recycling and used tyres.
The minister’s fireside appearance in a Christmas message demonstrated his continued effort to reinvent himself
The minister has always insisted that he had planned to declare his financial set-up to the public, yet e-mails sent by his financial advisers Nexia BT indicated that it was geared towards secrecy.
One leaked e-mail says that Dr Mizzi, together with the Prime Minister’s chief of staff Keith Schembri, cannot appear as direct shareholders in their Panama companies for “commercially sensitive” reasons.
Further e-mails show how Nexia BT enquired about opening foreign bank accounts for the two men, some of which would have required a deposit of $1 million.
The Minister Without Portfolio’s public appearances have been few and far between over the past few months, making it difficult for the press to ask the many unanswered questions about his financial set-up.
His last appearance at a press conference was in October to launch a new PV panel scheme.
During that event, Dr Mizzi refused to answer specific questions about why Nexia BT said in the Panama Papers that he wanted to avoid alerting local banks about his secretive set-up.
Since that appearance, Dr Mizzi has resorted to promoting himself through his Facebook page and giving interviews to Labour Party media.
The minister’s fireside appearance in a Christmas message demonstrated his continued effort to reinvent himself and put distance from the scandal.
Not a single mention was made about the Panama Papers in the four-minute-long video message, during which Dr Mizzi gave a run-down of his main achievements in 2016.
The European Parliament’s Panama Papers inquiry committee will pay an official visit to Malta next month.
Part of the visit is expected to be dedicated to learning more about Dr Mizzi’s financial set-up.
Dr Mizzi was the only sitting EU minister to be implicated in the Panama Papers.
jacob.borg@timesofmalta.com