Police 'no comment' on claim Pilatus Bank suspect was allowed to slip away

The police have declined to comment on claims a Pilatus Bank suspect was allowed to leave the country despite facing an arrest warrant.

Rule of law NGO Repubblika recently alleged that the bank’s operations supervisor Mehmet Tasli was allowed to freely enter and leave Malta despite the arrest warrant.

Contacted about the claims, a police spokesperson said the Police Act prevents them from divulging details of ongoing investigations.

An affidavit presented to court last month by former PN MP Jason Azzopardi detailed how Tasli had even walked in and out of the court building last year unchallenged.

According to the account, Tasli was summoned as a witness in October 2021 to testify about a request by the bank for a partial lifting of its freezing order, to be allowed to carry out certain payments. 

Repubblika president Robert Aquilina said during a July press conference outside the law courts that two attorney general lawyers were present on the day Tasli testified.

“They questioned him, then allowed him to walk out of the court building. He was allowed to leave Malta unchallenged,” Aquilina said.

A month earlier, both the bank and one of its former officials had been charged with...