Magistrate in Egrant inquiry travels to Ireland for forensic IT assistance

The magistrate investigating claims that the Prime Minister's wife is the owner of a secret offshore company in Panama, has traveled to Ireland to meet forensic experts, this newspaper can reveal.

Magistrate Aaron Bugeja appears to have redoubled his efforts to conclude his inquiry, cancelling a number of sittings and heading to Ireland to consult forensic IT experts over the case.

In April the magistrate was granted clearance for any funds he required to appoint any court expert, local or foreign, to assist him in the Egrant inquiry, according to the Ministry of Justice.

Foreign expertise was requested to help examine a number of computer servers – including those elevated from the offices of Pilatus Bank and Nexia BT – in the court’s quest to determine whether the Prime Minister’s wife, Michelle Muscat, owns a share in the secret Panamanian company Egant Inc.

Five magisterial inquiries are underway investigating allegations of government corruption following the ICIJ’s explosive leak of documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca in 2016: the inquiry into alleged links between Panama-registered company Egrant and the Prime Minister being held by Magistrate Aaron Bugeja, Magistrate Doreen Clarke's inquiry into the FIAU leak of compliance reports about Pilatus Bank, Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera's inquiry into the leak of a preliminary FIAU report on Pilatus Bank to the then Commissioner of Police Michael Cassar in April 2016, Magistrate Galea Sciberras' inquiry into Keith Schembri and Brian Tonna of Nexia BT and Magistrate Josette Demicoli's inquiry into allegations of money laundering by Keith Schembri and Adrian Hillman through Pilatus Bank.

None have yet been concluded.