The Attorney General described a meeting between his office, the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit and an MEP delegation as “civilised and positive”.
The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) is looking into the rule of law following the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
“We explained that as a prosecution we are loyal towards facts and the law, and we also discussed some aspects of the Maltese penal process,” Peter Grech told the media after the meeting.
“On the whole, it was a positive discussion where every part made its case. Such discussions and exchange of ideas are important,” he added.
Dr Grech was one of several who on Wednesday met LIBE after the committee landed in Malta following a two-day visit to Slovakia.
There, the Civil Liberties MEPs expressed concern about corruption, conflicts of interest and impunity in the country’s ruling circles.
Among others, they quizzed representatives of law enforcement bodies, journalists, NGOs and the family lawyer of Ján Kuciak, the Slovak investigative journalist who was shot dead together with his fiancée Martina Kušnírová in February.
In a similar fashion, the MEPs plan to meet Malta’s ministers for justice and tourism. They have also questioned the AG and exchanged views with journalists and representatives of the Daphne Project, while discussing the situation with NGOs involved in the field of rule of law.
They are expected to speak to the family of Ms Caruana Galizia on Wednesday.
In May, the committee decided to establish a new working group to monitor the situation about rule of law and the fight against corruption within the EU, with specific reference to Malta and Slovakia.
With a mandate until December 31, the working group is tasked with recommending specific actions such as meetings, hearings and missions.
It will also present a final report to the committee summarising its conclusions.
Following their first mission to Malta last December, MEPs expressed serious concerns about the unclear separation of powers in Malta, which has been held as the source of the perceived lack of independence of the judiciary and the police, the weak implementation of anti-money laundering legislation, the serious problems deriving from the ‘investments for citizenship programme’ and the mention of Maltese politically exposed persons in the Panama Papers and their continuing presence in government.