Since the article is about Malta, the discussions here should be centered on Malta. Sure, everyone knows the US is corrupt as f*** but what relevance does that have here and now? There are plenty of other places on HN to bring up this "argument".
What was notable about Malta is not the topic of the article and particularly irrelevant now that corruption in Malta that helps Russia would not be notable.
The problem is that while the US and UK are well known countries with lots of press coverage, Malta isn't, so when you link one article in a foreign publication you are getting a highly distorted and politically charged view of a country you otherwise know nothing about.
