Pilatus whistleblower Maria Efimova will not be extradited to Malta

The request for the extradition of Pilatus Bank whistleblower Maria Efimova has been denied by the Greek Court of Appeal in a decision delivered this afternoon.

PN MEP David Casa took to Twitter to announce the Greek Court’s decision to refused an appeal by a Greek prosecutor.

“I welcome the decision of the Greek courts and am hopeful that this will give Maria the peace of mind and tranquillity she very much deserves,” he said.

Greek Court of Appeal confirms decision not to extradite #PilatusBank whistleblower Maria Efimova to Malta. I welcome the decision of the Greek courts and am hopeful that this will give Maria the peace of mind and tranquility she very much deserves.

— David Casa (@DavidCasaMEP) June 14, 2018

“Maria Efimova was Daphne Caruana Galizia’s source. Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated and the mastermind remains at large. Those that used Pilatus Bank for criminal activity remain in power in Malta. It is clear that Maria’s life would be at risk if she were extradited," PN Head of Delegation David Casa said.

Casa travelled to Athens three times to work with Maria Efimova’s legal team. He provided evidence during the hearing before the Court of First Instance as well as the Court of Appeal.

Earlier, Efimova tweeted that she was waiting for the decision. She said her lawyer had advised her not to appear in the court, to avoid being arrested if the decision would have turned out negative. However, she said she was not going to hide and appeared in court nonetheless.

Efimova, a former employee at Pilatus Bank, was issued with a European arrest warrant last year after she twice failed to turn up in the Maltese court to face charges of fraud filed by her former employer. 

Efimova is currently facing two sets of criminal proceedings in Malta. She has been accused by Pilatus Bank of defrauding it of roughly €2,000 in one case, and by the police of having made false accusations against Superintendent Denis Theuma, inspector Lara Butters and Jonathan Ferris, who had interrogated her.

Efimova was behind allegations that the Panama company Egrant belonged to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s wife, Michelle. She also alleged that the bank had processed a $1 million transaction from Azerbaijan to Michelle Muscat.