Updated with PM's reply
The European Parliament’s Pana Committee, which is investigating the Panama Papers leaks, has requested Joseph Muscat to appear before it in two weeks’ time.
“The PANA-committee expects the Prime Minister to accept our invitation. The cooperation we have received so far from the Maltese Council Presidency is disappointing. Now that the Prime Minister has called for early elections as a result of allegations that his wife received money into a secret bank account, I hope the Prime Minister as President-in-Office of the Council will use this opportunity to give a public explanation," committee chairman Werner Langen.
Pana Committee chairman Werner Langen."Moreover, we see a need for the Maltese government to call for an independent investigation into this matter if the judicial authorities on Malta have not yet decided to do so."
Later today, the Prime Minister said he would have no problem facing the European Parliament’s Pana Committee once the Egrant inquiry was concluded.
Read: PM says he will face European Parliament once Egrant inquiry is concluded
Mr Langen recalled that the committee had already invited the prime minister’s chief of staff Keith Schembri, former minister Ninu Zammit as well as Nexia BT, to testify about their involvement in the Panama Papers. They declined.
"That is unacceptable and shows a special governmental arrogance of the Maltese presidency towards the European Parliament, the directly elected co-legislator. Given that Dr Muscat is a former colleague and member of the ECON-committee dealing with tax issues this behaviour is particularly astonishing.“
The decision to summon Dr Muscat was taken in a vote among group coordinators – representing different political groups. They decided to call Dr Muscat and Mr Schembri to appear before the committee between May 15-18.
The Pana committee held a meeting in Malta on February 20 after which Mr Langer said documents presented to the committee "would seem to point to potential money laundering, but we do not have documentary evidence of this."
READ: 'We will have to dig deeper' into Konrad Mizzi claims, Pana Committee chair says
The committee had publicly protested after Mr Schembri refused to appear before it.
Minister Konrad Mizzi met the committee and accused it of lacking objectivity.
READ: Pana Committee chairman vents frustration about 'lack of cooperation'
MEP Sven Giegold, financial and economic policy spokesperson of the Greens/EFA group commented:
"Prime minister Muscat has to explain the latest developments and allegations regarding the offshore company called e-grant. The credibility of the EU is at stake as Malta holds the Presidency of the EU and is currently negotiating on revising the anti-money laundering standards. It is highly unusual to call for elections during a Presidency. This election may not delay the inquiry of the European Parliament.
"We have already invited the Maltese Presidency twice and they didn't show up. Similarly, we requested to meet with Mr Schembri, chief of staff of the Prime Minister and he refused to see us in Malta or to come to Brussels. In addition, the Greens have successfully insisted that Mr Zammit and Nexia BT will be reinvited to PANA in June."