There are two other other names in Times of Malta’s article mentioned behind the Vitals Global Healthcare scandal which should not come as a surprise. These are that of accountants Brian Tonna and Karl Cini.
They “are former partners at the now-defunct accountancy firm Nexia BT, which shut down after being racked by scandal.” They and Nexia BT “first hit the headlines in 2016 after the Panama Papers leak revealed that they set up secretive offshore structures for Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi.” They “also featured heavily in the inquiry into the offshore company Egrant, which was cited in Panama Papers-leaked documents,” and inquiry which found that Karl Cini had “‘created’ documents to back assertions that the mystery Panama company Egrant was owned by his boss and Nexia BT partner, Brian Tonna.”
They were removed from the Malta Financial Services Authority’s record in January of last year, which means they are no longer permitted to hold new roles in any registered company, including as shareholders. They are being prosecuted on allegations of money laundering and document falsification, among other offenses, following investigations into Keith Schembri’s purported misconduct.”
Brian Tonna was often a target of the pen of Daphne Caruana Galizia and this site will go back to her running commentary and publish a series of articles related to Tonna. Let us start with the first, dated 26th April 2017, published at 12:46 am, titled “Prime Minister’s chief of staff takes €100,000 in kickbacks on sale of Maltese citizenship to three Russians,” which reads:
“This evening the leader of the Opposition called a press conference which gave the details on the story I published last night. I wasn’t sorry to be scooped on this, and that I wasn’t able to give the details myself.
If I had published those details, the trolls and Holocaust-deniers would have been out in force, saying “Show us the proof”. But because it’s the Opposition leader, it carries more weight, and so they don’t.
These are the details. Brian Tonna, the corrupt accountant who set up companies in Panama for the Castille Gang, received €166,831 in referral fees on the sale of Maltese citizenship to three Russians, and immediately kicked back €100,000 to the Prime Minister’s chief of staff.
Tonna received the money into an account at Pilatus Bank held by his once-top-secret British Virgin Islands company, Willerby Trade Inc. An internal transfer was then made to Keith Schembri’s account at the same bank.
The reason given for the transfer, as per the bank records, was “loan payment”. “Loan payment” is also the reason listed for the transfers from Al Sahra FZCO’s (UBO – Leyla Aliyeva) account at Pilatus Bank to accounts held at Dubai banks by Egrant Inc, Tillgate Inc and Hearnville Inc, the Panama companies at the centre of the storm.
Simon Busuttil pointed out that this is a criminal act – because, this being Malta, you have to tell people what crimes are because otherwise they might think it’s business or commission – and said that Schembri should be arrested that same night for questioning on money-laundering and corruption, and arraigned in court tomorrow.
And the Prime Minister, he said, should be questioned by the police about possible complicity, but step down before that. Muscat is not fit for political life, he said.”
Brian Tonna, the accountant mentioned in the VGH scandal & Daphne Caruana Galizia’s pen about him (1)
There are two other other names in Times of Malta’s article mentioned behind the Vitals Global Healthcare scandal which should not come as a surprise. These are that of accountants Brian Tonna and Karl Cini.
They “are former partners at the now-defunct accountancy firm Nexia BT, which shut down after being racked by scandal.” They and Nexia BT “first hit the headlines in 2016 after the Panama Papers leak revealed that they set up secretive offshore structures for Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi.” They “also featured heavily in the inquiry into the offshore company Egrant, which was cited in Panama Papers-leaked documents,” and inquiry which found that Karl Cini had “‘created’ documents to back assertions that the mystery Panama company Egrant was owned by his boss and Nexia BT partner, Brian Tonna.”
They were removed from the Malta Financial Services Authority’s record in January of last year, which means they are no longer permitted to hold new roles in any registered company, including as shareholders. They are being prosecuted on allegations of money laundering and document falsification, among other offenses, following investigations into Keith Schembri’s purported misconduct.”
Brian Tonna was often a target of the pen of Daphne Caruana Galizia and this site will go back to her running commentary and publish a series of articles related to Tonna. Let us start with the first, dated 26th April 2017, published at 12:46 am, titled “Prime Minister’s chief of staff takes €100,000 in kickbacks on sale of Maltese citizenship to three Russians,” which reads:
“This evening the leader of the Opposition called a press conference which gave the details on the story I published last night. I wasn’t sorry to be scooped on this, and that I wasn’t able to give the details myself.
If I had published those details, the trolls and Holocaust-deniers would have been out in force, saying “Show us the proof”. But because it’s the Opposition leader, it carries more weight, and so they don’t.
These are the details. Brian Tonna, the corrupt accountant who set up companies in Panama for the Castille Gang, received €166,831 in referral fees on the sale of Maltese citizenship to three Russians, and immediately kicked back €100,000 to the Prime Minister’s chief of staff.
Tonna received the money into an account at Pilatus Bank held by his once-top-secret British Virgin Islands company, Willerby Trade Inc. An internal transfer was then made to Keith Schembri’s account at the same bank.
The reason given for the transfer, as per the bank records, was “loan payment”. “Loan payment” is also the reason listed for the transfers from Al Sahra FZCO’s (UBO – Leyla Aliyeva) account at Pilatus Bank to accounts held at Dubai banks by Egrant Inc, Tillgate Inc and Hearnville Inc, the Panama companies at the centre of the storm.
Simon Busuttil pointed out that this is a criminal act – because, this being Malta, you have to tell people what crimes are because otherwise they might think it’s business or commission – and said that Schembri should be arrested that same night for questioning on money-laundering and corruption, and arraigned in court tomorrow.
And the Prime Minister, he said, should be questioned by the police about possible complicity, but step down before that. Muscat is not fit for political life, he said.”