The list of persons holding accounts with HSBC in Geneva has been given to the Maltese government by France and the Inland Revenue authorities have been asked to investigate it immediately, the Prime Minister said today.
He said that in terms of the law, he had requested the names of anyone on the list having political connections, and the names will be published once he gets them and verifications are made, again in terms of the law. He said he had made enquiries within the Labour parliamentary group and with party officials and no one said he was involved.
Dr Muscat told a press conference that the process for the government to obtain the list started a month ago when he met French President Francois Hollande. A formal request for the list was then made by the Maltese tax authorities.
The existence of this list was known by the French authorities in 2010, Dr Muscat said. The French authorities had passed it on to the UK and other countries, but Malta never requested a copy.
Dr Muscat said he had instructed the Commissioner of Inland Revenue to investigate the data immediately and to give the dossiers ‘absolute priority’.
The information, he said, is governed by the Double Taxation Agreement between Malta and France and the European Savings Tax Directive.
The two instruments make it clear that the data may not be divulged indiscriminately. He had also been advised that if the information was published, one would be liable to serious legal action and publications could undermine any further requests for information by the country.
However after consultations with the Attorney General, in terms of the Income Tax Management Act he had asked the Commissioner of Inland Revenue to give him the names of so-called Politically Exposed Persons who may be on the list.
Dr Muscat stressed, however, that people on the list may not necessarily be evading tax as they could have been declaring their funds.
He said he currently had no access to the list and it would be up to the Commissioner of Inland Revenue to give him the list of Politically Exposed People - independently of who they are. The definition of such Politically Exposed People includes - ministers and former ministers, MPs and former MPs, senior civil servants, members of the judiciary and their families.
Once he receives the list, the Prime Minister said he will publish it after the necessary safeguards required by law. Decisions would also be taken on whether such people would be asked to step down or be suspended.
Dr Muscat said investigations were being made on the source of the funds, including the funds belonging to former ministers Michael Falzon and Ninu Zammit.
He said no further amnesties were planned.
Dr Muscat said no one within the Labour Party including the members of the Labour Parliamentary group and party officials had declared involvement in Swissleaks.
Dr Muscat said the government was seeking, as far as possible, further information about other accounts held abroad, not necessarily with HSBC.
Out of the 71 Malta-based clients on the HSBC Swissleaks list, 24 are Maltese passport holders.
Former Nationalist minister Ninu Zammit yesterday refused to take any questions on press reports that he had held about $3.2 million in a secret Swiss account.
On the same list featuring Mr Zammit are former PN Cabinet minister Michael Falzon and ex-Enemalta chairman Tancred Tabone. Mr Falzon had disclosed that he had the Maltese lira equivalent of €465,000 deposited with HSBC in Geneva. Both former ministers said they had regularised their position. They had not declared the funds in the ministerial declaration of assets when they were Cabinet members.
BUSUTTIL: LIST OF POLITICIANS SHOULD BE PUBLISHED IMMEDIATELY
In a reaction, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said the names of people involved in politics which were found on the Swissleaks list should be published immediately. The prime minister, he said, should not publish names in dribs and drabs, acting like a Super One journalist before the local elections.
CAFE PREMIER
On the Cafe Premier issue and Dr Simon Busuttil’s call for the government to stop payments, Dr Muscat said payments would continue because the mistakes which had been made were procedural, not political.