The Greek police wanted to arrest whistleblower Maria Efimova again on Monday when she reported being threatened earlier in the day, the Russian national said.

Ms Efimova said filing the report was “not an easy task”, adding she spent three hours at a police station in Crete, where she resides. “When I went to the police station they wanted to arrest me again on grounds that the Maltese warrant of arrest is still valid,” she told this newspaper.

The former Pilatus Bank employee fled the island last year and the Maltese courts issued a European and international arrest warrant against her when she failed to attend hearings in connections with fraud and false police report charges.

Ms Efimova had claimed that Panama company Egrant was owned by the Prime Minister’s wife, an allegation first reported by slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and which was strongly denied by the Muscats.

The whistleblower turned herself in to the Greek police in March and a court in Athens ruled last month she should not be extradited to Malta because of concerns for her safety. Greek prosecutors have appealed the decision and the Greek Supreme Court is expected to make its decision next month.

Ms Efimova said on Twitter earlier this week she would be going to the police again to file a report after she received threats, saying these came just hours after her former boss, Pilatus Bank owner Seyed Ali Sadr Hasheminejad, was granted bail in the US where he is accused of money laundering and violating US economic sanctions on Iran.

She said she was threatened while jogging when an unknown man approached her saying they would get to her.

Ms Efimova said finding the man, who spoke Turkish, might not be easy because there were no cameras or witnesses when the threats were made.

claire.caruana@timesofmalta.com