L-attivisti ta’ Occupy Justice, in-Network tas-Soċjetà Ċivili, il-Kenniesa u l-Awturi kitbu lill-Prim Ministru Grieg, Alexix Tsipras, biex jipproteġi lil Maria Efimova waqt li saħħqu li l-ħajja tagħha u ta’ familtha tista’ tkun fil-periklu jekk tintbagħat lura Malta.
Waqt li kkonfermaw dak irrappurtat fuq l-ILLUM, jiġifieri li l-awtoritajiet Griegi huma obbligati li jibagħtu persuna mfittxija u li dwarha jkun hemm mandat t’arrest, insistew li l-Unjoni Ewropea mhux “klabb ta’ gvernijiet,” aktar u aktar jekk wieħed minn dawn il-gvernijiet “jiżvija” mill-valuri li jaqsmu, jiġifieri l-libertà u d-demokrazija.
Lil Tsipras fakkruh li Efimova kienet is-sors li tat informazzjoni dwar attivitajiet illegali tal-Bank pilatus u li l-ġurnalista li tkellmet magħha, Daphne Caruana Galizia, inqatlet b’karozza bomba.
Insistew li l-qtil ta’ Caruana Galizia kien interpretat bħala twissija lis-sorsi li jipprovdu informazzjoni lill-ġurnalisti u lill-awtoritajiet.
Fakkruh ukoll li f’Malta, Efimova hija mfittxija għax l-istess bank qed jakkużaha b’miżaproprijazzjoni ta’ €2,000. Filwat li fakkruh li mhux normali li jinħareġ mandat ta’ arrest għal daqshekk, saħqu li lesti jħallsu lill-Bank l-ammont li qed jgħid li nsteraq minn Efimova.
“Il-bżonn tal-libertà tal-espressjoni fl-Ewropa jiżboq il-prosekuzzjoni dwar allegazzjonijiet ta' miżaproprijazzjoni ta’ inqas minn €2,000, li nfetħet minn xi ħadd li qed jiffaċċja 125 sena ħabs minħabba għadd ta’ atti kriminali finanzjarji,” tisħaq l-ittra.
L-ittra, mibnija fuq dik li kiteb jiem ilu Manuel Delia, tkompli tisħaq li uffiċjali tal-Gvern Malti, kienu qed jippromovu akkużi bla bażi dwar Efimova, fosthom li jitfgħu suspett li kienet hi li qatlet lil Caruana Galizia u anke li ppruvat toqtol spija Russu u bintu fir-Renju Unit. Saħqu li dawn l-aħbarijiet foloz dehru f’Malta u anke f’Ċipru.
“Maria Efimova għenitna nsiru nafu li pajjiżna kien qed tipproteġi bankier għall-korrotti u l-kriminali,” ikomplu l-attivisti. “Minħabba f’hekk ma jixirqilix li tkompli tiġi ppersegwitata.”
Każ simili fil-Finlandja: X'kien ġara?
Fil-każ ta’ Gataev&Gataeva fil-Qorti Suprema tal-Finlandja, dawn it-tnejn kellhom mandat ta’ arrest kontrihom mill-Gvern tal-Litwanja. Imma dawn it-tnejn, bħalma indikat li se tagħmel Efimova, kienu applikaw għall-ażil u saħqu illi l-applikazzjoni tagħhom għandha tieħu preċedenza fuq dik tal-estradizzjoni u li mhux se jingħataw smigħ xieraq fil-Litwanja. Il-Qorti tal-Finlandja kienet laqgħet it-talba ta’ Gataev&Gataeva fuq il-premessa li għalkemm applikazzjoni għall-ażil ma tissemmiex speċifikment fil-qafas regolatorju dwar il-Mandat ta’ Arrest Ewropew bħala bażi għal rifjut ta’ estradizzjoni, “din il-proviżjoni legali għandha tinftiehem b’mod wiesa’ skont l-istess qafas, b’tali mod li rifjut fuq il-bażi ta’ talba għall-ażil għandha tkun possibbli.”
Il-Kummissjoni Ewropea kienet ċara iżda dwar il-prattika fil-pajjiżi Skandinavi, “rifjut ta’ estradizzjoni fuq il-bażi ta’ artikli 5(1) (6) tal-EU Extraditon Act (li titħaddem fil-pajjiżi Skandinavi) huwa vot ta’ sfiduċja fl-Istat Membru li ħareġ il-mandat ta’ arrest u huwa f’kunflitt dirett mal-prinċipju tar-rikonoxximent reċiproku.”
Artiklu 5 (6) jgħid li estradizzjoni tista’ tkun rifjutata fuq suspett ta’ theddid ta’ tortura jew trattament degredabbli... jew biża’ ta’ ksur tad-drittijiet tal-bniedem u/jew liberta tal-espressjoni u assoċjazzjoni.
Il-Kummissjoni Ewropea sostniet ukoll illi applikazzjoni tal-ażil bħalma qed titlob Efimova tista’ “twassal biss għall-posponiment tal-estradizzjoni,” mhux ir-rifjut tiegħu.
Aqra wkoll:
Aqra hawn l-ittra sħiħa:
To Hon Alexis Tsipras, Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic.
Maria Efimova is a Russian national currently in an Athens prison waiting for a hearing on an extradition request made by Malta where she is wanted to answer for a complaint filed by her former employer, Pilatus Bank plc, that accuses her of misappropriating less than €2,000.
Normally such a matter should not reach your attention. Nor indeed is it normal for a petty private dispute (Maria Efimova is seeking redress claiming Pilatus Bank owes her three months of salary payments) to be subject to an international arrest warrant and extradition.
Maria Efimova was a source that provided information on illegal activities in Pilatus Bank plc. She provided information to Daphne Caruana Galizia who, as you know, has since been assassinated in a car bombing. The brutal nature of her killing has been widely interpreted as a warning by her killers to her sources no longer to provide journalists and the authorities with information on what they know.
Maria Efimova has left Malta in fear for her life. The government mobilised a vilification campaign led by our prime minister who suggested Maria Efimova might be an agent acting on behalf of the Kremlin. While in hiding in your country fake news stories in Malta and in Cyprus have appeared falsely alleging she is suspected of killing Daphne Caruana Galizia and more recently attempting to kill the Skiprals in the UK.
These outrageous and utterly baseless accusations have been propagated by officials and agents of the ruling party in Malta whose leading members have been personally implicated by the information provided by Maria Efimova in the corrupt activities conducted by Pilatus Bank.
The sole owner of Pilatus Bank, an Ali Sadr, has since last week been detained by the United States federal authorities and indicted with several counts of financial crimes.
It is virtually unheard of for an EU member state to provide asylum to a fugitive from another EU member state. Cooperation in justice and law enforcement is an important pillar for our Union. But it is premised on consensus on European democratic values and principles.
There can be no democracy without free journalism. And there can be no journalism without the protection of sources. A journalist has been killed and her source has suffered vilification, exile, considerable financial hardship and now arrest and detention.
It hurts to say this but the fear she has for her own life and that of her husband and children – citizens of your country – should she be made to return to Malta, is reasonable and borne out by the facts.
The European Union is not a club of governments, especially when one of those governments steps away from the shared values of freedom and democracy. In the name of those values, we appeal to you to grant Maria Efimova asylum in your country in order for the extradition process to be terminated.
The need for the freedom of expression in Europe to prevail, outweighs the need for the prosecution of the alleged misappropriation of less than 2,000 euro filed by someone facing 125 years in an American federal prison for a long series of financial crimes.
We would not be alone in volunteering to reimburse Pilatus Bank for the loss it argues Maria Efimova has caused it to suffer as a result of this alleged misappropriation.
Maria Efimova helped us learn that our country was harbouring a banker for the corrupt and the criminal. Her account, whenever this has been possible, has been verified as truthful and correct.
For this she does not deserve to be rewarded with continued persecution, not to mention the real risk for her life and the life of her family.
Respectfully,
Occupy Justice, Civil Society Network, Il-Kenniesa and L-Awturi
