Malta has already been voted off the Financial Action Task Force's grey list with an official announcement scheduled tomorrow Friday (17 June), according to reports by Malta media including the The Times of Malta and The Malta Independent.
The decision came after a secret vote was taken at the currently ongoing FATF set of meetings, which includes a plenary, in Germany.
The vote on 15 June was held among 37 jurisdictions and two regional organisations - the European Commission and the Gulf Co-operation Council, which are both recognised by the FATF.
The decision will only be made official at the end of the FATF's plenary on 17 June.
In comments outside Parliament on 15 June, Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela said that he could not confirm or deny the news before it is made official, citing the FATF's strict confidentiality surrounding its meetings.
Abela further said Malta remained committed to the reforms discussed with the FATF so that country would continue to be strengthened as a serious financial jurisdiction.
In a statement, the local Nationalist Party welcomed the news that Malta had been taken off the grey list.
It said that Malta's reputation should never have been tarnished in this way, because of mistaken government decisions. The end result had been that various local entities were scrutinised like never before, to the detriment of many people.
In February of this year, the FATF said Malta had substantially completed its action plan and an on-site visit was warranted to verify the implementation of reforms. FATF representatives, together with those from Moneyval, held the on-site visit in April.
In March this year, International Investment reported that the UAE had joined Malta on FATF's grey list.
