Brian Tonna

Brian Tonna ran Brian Tonna & Co., described by the project managing tool "timesheet express" as a "medium sized accounting and audit firm based in Malta with their primary objective of satisfying clients needs in a professional and cost effective manner." The company was member of Nexia International, a worldwide network of independent auditors, business advisers and consultants. "Brian Tonna’s clients can access international expertise in a broad range of accounting and tax specialists in countries around the world."[2]

In May 2013 Tonna created a Maltese subsidiary of Mossack Fonseca, Nexia BT. Brian Tonna has known businessman and öater Muscat chef of staff Keith Schembri as a personal friend and client in 2019 for 20 years, according to a written declaration made by Tonna and seen by Reuters.

After Joseph Muscat won the Maltese election in 2013, Tonna, like Keith Schembri and others became inoffical part of his office team. Die Zeit called him "a kind of chief accountant"[3] in the system of legal and illegal business involment of politicians. Tonna was officially hired as an adviser to Owen Bonnici, the than minister for justice in Malta. The work was in addition to previously disclosed business contracts, worth more than 800.000 Euros, awarded by other government ministries to NexiaBT. Brian Tonna held the consultancy full-time from August 2014 to August 2016, and part-time from then until August 31, 2017, contracts, obtained from a Freedom of Information request. Reuters wrote, Tonnas pay of about 55.000 Euros annually plus expenses was almost as high as that of the prime minister of Malta.[4]

Ten days after Muscats election in 2013 Tonna founded via Mossack Fonseca in Panama the Willerby Trade Inc.. In July 2013 employees of Tonna created at least three letterbox firms in Panama: Tillgate Inc. owned by prime minister's chief of staff Keith Schembri, Hearnville Inc. owned by Energy-minister Konrad Mizzi and Egrant Inc..

In April 2017 journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia wrote that shares in Egrant Inc. were held by Mossack Fonseca nominees for Michelle Muscat, the wife of Joseph Muscat. In May 2017, Maltese authorities launched a judicial investigation into payments totalling 100,000 Euros made by Tonna to Schembri at a private bank. The investigation was launched after Malta's anti-money laundering agency Financial Intelligence and Analysis Unit (FIAU), said in a report that the payments gave rise to "reasonable suspicion of money laundering." Both Tonna and Schembri have denied any wrongdoing and said the 100,000 Euros were repayment of a personal loan. In 2019 FIAU was still investigating the case.[5]

In November 2017, PM Muscat came under political pressure from opposition, after details of 17 Black, an obscure company based in Dubai and owned by Yorgen Fenech got puplic. That company, according to an email from Tonnas NexiaBT, planned to pay up to 2 million Euros to the Panama-based companies Tillgate Inc. and Hearnville Inc. from Mizzi and Schembri.[6]