Ali Sadr’s arrest damages Malta.
It does not matter he’s not accused of crimes committed in Malta. That’s only because he’s not being arraigned in Malta by Maltese authorities for breaching Maltese laws. But he’s been arraigned in the United States by US authorities for breaching American laws.
It does not matter he’s not accused of crimes connected with Pilatus Bank, licensed in Malta. That’s only because the Americans have enough on him to lock him up for life.
Attempting to clutch at these straws as Joseph Muscat’s cabal now is the sophistry of the desperate.
Look at the headline in this Reuters wire about Ali Sadr’s arraignment: “Iranian chairman of Maltese bank pleads not guilty to U.S. charges“. That’s what Ali Sadr is. He’s an Iranian chairman of a Maltese bank. It cannot be distilled further. It cannot be spun without making this a lie.
Everyone now is trying to argue why they had nothing to do with this situation: ministers, auditors, regulators, investigators, all. Even as they do so, Malta’s name is dragged in the mud. The rest of us really did nothing to bring this upon Malta. Some of us did their best to prevent it.
And yet here we all are.