Whistleblower Maria Efimova fears for her safety amid threats and new arrest warrants – Open Democracy

Just when she thought the persecution was over, Maria Efimova, the whistleblower who helped expose the corrupt ties between organised crime and Maltas political establishment, found that the nightmare was back. On Monday 17 November, Pantelis Varnava, Efimovas husband, was put under arrest in Crete following a request from Cyprus' authorities.

Maria Efimova is a former employee of Pilatus Bank who in 2017 passed on data to Maltese anti-corruption activist and investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia revealing that a secret Panama-based company Egrant, Inc. belonged to Michelle Muscat, the wife of Maltas former prime minister Joseph Muscat. Caruana Galizia had been investigating an intricate web of corruption and money laundering schemes in Malta based on the information contained in the 2016 Panama Papers scandal. Six months after Caruana Galizia published this information she was killed when a car bomb was detonated inside her vehicle as she drove close to her home.

At first, Efimova acted as an anonymous source for Caruana Galizia, but when the official investigation started, her identity was revealed by the inquiring magistrates assistant.

Efimova, her husband and two children fled the country and sought refuge in Greece soon after Caruana Galizias murder.

Aware of DiEM25s and MeRA25s defence of whistleblowers, Efimova approached the movement founder Yanis Varoufakis earlier this week right after her husbands release. At this point, going public, sharing my story with the world, is all I have left to protect myself and my family. Like an insurance policy in case something was to happen to us, Efimova said.

Varoufakis expressed serious concerns over Efimovas safety. The source which exposed a money laundering and corruption scheme involving Maltas former prime minister is now under fierce attack by Malta, Cyprus and a corporate, murderous establishment willing to do anything to silence her. We will fight to protect her, just as we do with other champions of transparency and freedom of information such as Julian Assange, said Varoufakis.

By going against my husband on made-up charges they are just trying to exert pressure on me, this is another twist in the plot, explained Efimova, who has already won a battle against the Maltese government when it sought her extradition back in 2018 and a Greek court ruled against the arrest warrant and extradition request.

According to Efimova, the charges against her husband are false and stem from the time they were in Cyprus: her husband never worked at the company he is now being accused of stealing from. Varnava was released pending a court hearing that will decide on the extradition request. He is not allowed to leave the country and must check in with the police on a regular basis.

In addition, Efimova has recently been receiving threats via Facebook. Comeback to Malta or else we are going to find you one way or other. You have dues to pay here, you frickin liar!!! is an example of the types of messages she has been targeted with. She filed a police report and reported the posts to Facebook. The social network has not responded to her reports.

Link:
Whistleblower Maria Efimova fears for her safety amid threats and new arrest warrants - Open Democracy