A fish rots from the head. The same can be said for the island nation of Malta. The country’s seedy political underbelly was thrown into the international spotlight in 2017 when journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia met her demise at the hands of criminals. Lengthy investigations revealed the murderers’ connections went right to the highest level of the Maltese state. — writes Andrew Hackney of INTERNATIONAL POLICY DIGEST

The collapse of that corrupt government has birthed another, except that now instead of simply being a haven for criminals, Malta has become a chink in Europe’s united front against the Vladimir Putin regime.

Malta’s golden passport scheme has been a window for Russian dirty money and influence to pour into Europe since 2014. The scheme has been used prolifically by wealthy Russians, many with connections to the Kremlin. At €900,000 a pop, it has been a good source of revenue for Malta’s government, with the wife of Prime Minister Robert Abela even profiting from the process directly ...........

Read the full story here for free at International Policy Digest https://intpolicydigest.org/malta-has-a-soft-spot-for-russian-money/

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