Maltese professor implicated in scandal 'disappeared', reports CNN

The Maltese professor, Joseph Mifsud, who was believed to be the link between Russian officials and the US presidential election of Donald Trump, has reportedly gone missing, according to CNN.

The news site said that Mifsud, “disappeared from a private university in Rome where he teaches”.

“Repeated attempts to reach him since have been unsuccessful, though he appears to have read some messages from CNN”, the site added.

Mifsud’s role emerged in court documents, which had been filed in relation to charges against Trump’s former aide, George Papadopoulos, who claimed that Mifsud told him that the Russians were in possession of “compromising material” regarding Hilary Clinton, back in 2014.

According to an associate, Mifsud said he had been interviewed by the FBI, while on a visit to the US earlier this year. This goes hand in hand with Mifsud’s own account, as he referred to the same discussion in an interview with La Repubblica, last week.

Members from the institute of Global Studies in Moscow informed CNN, on Tuesday, that Mifsud presented him as someone who could build contacts to foreign universities and institutes.

In spite of this, CNN reported that Mifsud’s relationships with several academic institutions having “ended badly.” His resume from a London institution was subsequently deleted and his connection with the University of East Anglia was ended.

Joseph Mifsud with the Russian ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko in May 2014.

“People who know him say Mifsud was always networking and often exaggerated his access to decision-makers. His stories are frequently contradictory. He has denied knowing anyone in the Russian government yet had previously claimed to have had an exchange with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at an event.

Nor is there any evidence to support a claim by Mifsud that he met President Putin,” CNN said.

The article was concluded with the mention of the “Putin niece”, which Mifsud admitted had no relation to the Russian president after all, despite claims by Papadopoulos.

“Mifsud’s history of exaggerations, and his enthusiasm to be seen as an important player in demand at conferences the world over, may now be coming back to haunt him”, it said.