Andreina Fenech, Malta's fisheries director, denied any wrongdoing in a tuna smuggling case under investigation in Spain following media reports of taped conversations in which she appears to be accepting bribes from tuna executives in Spain, reports Malta Today.
These conversations and other documents leaked to the Spanish newspaper El Confidencial show ongoing conversations between Fenech -- who is currently suspended -- and Spanish businessman Jose Fuentes, director of tuna ranching giant Ricardo Fuentes e Hijos.
In the conversations -- which are being investigated by Spain's federal law enforcement agency, Guardia Civil – Fenech demands that Fuentes pays her "what was agreed," something that she now claims was a “legitimate” request for payment.
