German MEP Sven Geigold has found no backing from the Maltese Greens on his self-declared crusade to force HSBC out of Malta.
All Maltese media report a number of reactions from various politicians on the case.
The Malta Independent reports that Giegold has been a target for the Labour Party because of his involvement in Maltese issues, but this time even Nationalist representatives did not like what he said. PN MP Hermann Schiavone, in a Facebook post, told the German MEP: “Hands off my country, I will forever defend Malta, its people and its businesses. F… Off”. Other politicians have also joined the fray against Giegold, saying that Malta should do more to tackle money laundering issues but HSBC should stay.
MaltaToday reports “The German MEP’s overzealous interest in punishing Malta has found no backing among Geigold’s fellow Greens in Malta. Alternattiva Demokratika chairperson Carmel Cacopardo insisted Geigold’s intention to fight money laundering may be good but his method was “an exaggeration”. “I completely disagree with what he said. By targeting HSBC he is being unfair to the whole country when the fight against money laundering should be taken to the authorities,” Cacopardo told MaltaToday.
A similar strong reaction came from Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola, who sits on the same cross-party committee as Geigold in the European Parliament. “I completely and categorically disagree with what Sven Giegold has said,” Metsola said when asked whether she endorsed the German MEP’s comments. Metsola insisted that “hysteria and theatre” do not get anyone anywhere. Geigold’s theatrics do not help the fight against corruption and money laundering, she added.
MEP Marlene Mizzi in a letter to Geigold said “what concerns me as Maltese citizen, is your keenness to damage Malta hiding behind the pretence of fighting money laundering. You are now crossing a line, where, without tangible proof, you are threatening to lobby for one Malta’s major banks from withdraw from the country because, according to you, our financial system engages in lax money laundering practices. It seems irrelevant to you that this would endanger the jobs of hundreds of people working with this Bank, and jeopardise the prospects of investors and shareholders. This is not acceptable and, frankly, you should be ashamed of abusing your position as an MEP for this purpose. You seem very keen on pointing fingers at Malta and its financial regulations, while ignoring the fact that Malta’s financial system has been declared robust, and has been given a clean bill of health from international financial agencies and institutions. Therefore, I find your tenacity to damage my country as highly suspicious and goes beyond a holier – than – thou keenness to fight money laundering. Having said so, if you have tangible proof of any wrongdoing within our financial service sector – which entices you to lobby for a Bank withdraw from our country – then you should put your money where your mouth is, indeed you are obliged, to report the matter to an authority you see fit for action so that action is taken against the wrong doers.
Read more on Malta Today and The Malta Independent
