Opposition leader Simon Busuttil this morning questioned whether any Maltese politician has benefited from a $2.8bn slush fund which Azerbaijan's ruling elite operated for two years to pay off European politicians and make luxury purchases.
The BBC reported that the money was allegedly channelled through four UK-based opaque companies and was used to pay European politicians who adopted a favourable attitude to the government.
There is no suggestion that all the recipients were aware of the original source of the money, it added.
The secret fund, nicknamed the Azerbaijan Laundromat, operated for two years until 2014, according to an investigation, carried out by a consortium of European newspapers and published by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
The origin of the money was unclear, the report said, but there was "ample evidence of its connection to the family of President Ilham Aliyev".
There has been no immediate reaction from Mr Aliyev or Azerbaijan's government, the BBC said.
At the time the scheme allegedly took place, the oil-rich ex-Soviet state was being accused of systematic corruption, vote-rigging and abuses, including the jailing of opposition politicians, human rights activists and journalists.
According to the OCCRP, the scheme seemed to have been successful in, for example, persuading the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe to vote against a report critical of Azerbaijan in 2013.
The vote is currently under investigation and a report is expected by the end of the year.
The four opaque companies which the scheme used - two based in England and two in Scotland - have now been dissolved.
MARCH REPORT WAS CRITICAL OF MALTESE LINKS TO AZERBAIJAN
Meanwhile, the Freedom Files Analytical Centre in a separate report - issued in March - on how Azerbaijan pedaled its influence in Western Europe, said some Maltese MPs were known for their support for Azerbaijan, mentioning (former) MP Joe Debono Grech when he was Council of Europe co-rapporteur on human rights in Azerbaijan.
It also noted how then MP (and current Speaker) Anġlu Farrugia observed many elections in Azerbaijan and always spoke highly positively about them, despite reports of electoral fraud and gross human rights violations.
In October 2013, Dr Farrugia described the presidential elections in Azerbaijan as “fair, democratic and transparent”. His assessment, the reports said, sharply conflicted with that of ODIHR observers.
“Besides a likely personal interest of certain Maltese MPs, a reason for Malta’s pro-Azerbaijani position may be that, according to our sources in Baku, Malta is considered by Azerbaijani oligarchs as one of the “provinces” of Azerbaijan,” the report said.
“Malta is one of the key locations where corrupt Azerbaijani officials keep their money in offshore banks, along with Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Dubai, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United States.”