Two journalists have been questioned by a magistrate following a criminal complaint filed by Pilatus Bank last week demanding an investigation into the source of a leaked FIAU compliance report.  

The Sunday Times of Malta reported last month how a two-week compliance visit by the FIAU found a number of shortcomings about how the bank handled PEPs from high-risk jurisdictions.

READ: Serious failures found at Pilatus Bank 

The Malta Independent has also reported on the compliance failures found at the bank.

Times of Malta’s journalist Jacob Borg and The Malta Independent content director Pierre Portelli were called to testify before an inquiry into the leak being conducted by Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera.

Mr Borg received a call from the police at 10pm last night, asking him to appear before the inquiry this morning.

Both journalists made it clear to the magistrate that they would not be revealing their sources. 

The bank was thrust into the spotlight last month after blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia claimed that a $1 million transfer to a Panama company owned by prime minister Joseph Muscat’s wife took place through the bank.

Mrs Caruana Galizia alleged that the money was transferred from a Pilatus account owned by the daughter of Azerbaijan President llham Aliyev.

Both the bank and Dr Muscat have denied the claims.