Whistleblowers continue to face significant challenges when coming forward with information, a report by the Council of Europe concluded, pointing to the case of Maria Efimova as an example.
The assessment of the state of freedom of expression in member states was issued to mark World Press Freedom Day, being celebrated on Friday.
According to the report, which evaluates the findings of the Council of Europe’s monitoring mechanisms and bodies throughout the previous year, while the European Commission proposed a directive on the protection of whistleblowers reporting on potential breaches of European Union law, in practice the situation was different.
“Whistleblowers continue to face significant challenges. In January 2018, Cyprus issued a European arrest warrant against Maria Efimova, a former employee of a Cypriot bank who had provided information to Daphne Caruana Galizia, the late Maltese journalist who was killed in a car bomb attack in 2017.
In possession of information about corruption
“Ms Efimova left Malta in August 2017, reportedly fearing for her life after giving evidence on allegations involving supposed business dealings of the Maltese Prime Minister’s wife. Ms Efimova has applied for asylum in Greece, where courts have so far denied Malta’s extradition requests,” the report comments.
Ms Efimova made the headlines in connection with her claims to Ms Caruana Galizia that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s wife, Michelle, is the owner of the once-secret company, Egrant. A magisterial inquiry concluded last year there was no evidence that Dr Muscat or his wife owned the company.
Ms Efimova has successfully resisted efforts to be extradited to Malta from Greece to face court proceedings instituted against her by Ta’ Xbiex-based Pilatus Bank, whose licence was withdrawn by the European Central Bank after its former chairman was arrested in the US in connection with allegations of money laundering and fraud.
The government branded whistleblower laws it enacted in 2013 as “the best and most robust” in Europe. However, MEPs have been pushing for better protection in all member states, including Malta.
A former official of the government’s anti-money laundering unit (FIAU), Jonathan Ferris, who was sacked before his probation period was up, had initiated legal action against the authorities after being denied whistleblower status.
In a judicial protest, Mr Ferris, who had also served as police inspector, had said that the whistleblowing unit within the Office of the Prime Minister had asked him to reveal all the information he had in hand before being granted whistleblower status.
His lawyers say he is in possession of information about corruption, abuse of power and money laundering that took place over the past few years and still persisted.