“Dirty money” was involved in the recent liberalisation of the energy market in Malta, the European Parliament's Pana committee chairman Werner Langen told reporters on Tuesday.

Without going into specifics, Mr Langen said he had not given up hope that “written proof” would be received about this.

Apart from the Sicily – Malta interconnector, the Labour government further opened up the energy supply market  with the commissioning of a new gas-fired power plant. A consortium made up of local businessmen, Siemens and the state-owned Azerbaijani energy company Socar won the bid to build the new plant. The state-owned Chinese energy company Shanghai Electric power also acquired a 33 per cent stake in Enemalta and took over the former BWSC power plant, which was converted to run on gas. 

READ: Malta's corporate tax base could be decimated if EU gets its way

Mr Langen told journalists attending a round table debate about the Pana committee’s work that Malta’s problems were systemic.

He said when Malta joined the EU in 2004, it did so with a whole raft of exemptions to the rules.

Mr Langen explained how foreign-owned companies paid a 35 per cent tax rate in Malta, 6/7ths of which was refunded. 

He said the committee’s investigations had found how Malta had become a “special case” when it came to online gaming.

He repeated that the problems were systemic, and not just about which government was in power.

Mr Langen said the Pana committee would be looking at increased monitoring of Malta, perhaps even going as far as an Article 7 provision allowing for the suspension of a member state’s voting rights.

The MEP said that Daphne Caruana Galizia had information about a number of government officials, including the Prime Minister’s wife.

Investigations into these cases had begun, but not yet finished, Mr Langen said.