On two Facebook accounts (see here and here) content was found published claiming to be a statement attributed to former British Minister for Europe, Denis MacShane, given to the Croatian media outlet "Index.hr".
In this content, MacShane is alleged to have said that US authorities have long been monitoring Judge Charles Smith, on suspicion that he received 3 million euros from Serbia in Malta, through the Satabank bank. The post also claims that the money was allegedly withdrawn by his nephew, Robert Smith, while it is said that this information has long been circulating among diplomats.
What's wrong with this content?
Hibrid.info searched for the source of this statement on Google, using combinations of names and claims in shqip, English and Croatian.
Searches for the names Denis MacShane, Charles Smith and Robert Smith, as well as the terms Satabank, Serbia, Malta and 3 million euros, did not yield any credible articles, interviews or statements containing the claims published on Facebook.
Also, specific research on Index.hr did not issue the claimed publication.
There are articles on Index.hr mentioning Denis MacShane. For example, a article from 2003 mentions him as British Minister for European Affairs during an event in London. Another publication of Index.hr, from 2014, mentions MacShane as a former British Minister for Europe.
However, no publication containing the statement about Charles Smith, 3 million euros, Serbia and Satabank was found on Index.hr.
However, there is a real fact regarding the amount of approximately 3 million euros and Satabank.
In July 2019, Satabank was fined 3 million euros by Maltese authorities for violating anti-money laundering rules. The Malta Independent reported that the fine was imposed following an investigation by the Malta Financial Services Authority and the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (see here).
So, the figure of 3 million euros is related to a fine against Satabank, not to a documented payment to Charles Smith.
Charles Smith was the presiding judge of the Trial Panel in the case against Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selim and Jakup Krasniqi. The official website of the Specialist Chambers presents the composition of the Trial Panel as: Charles Smith III (presiding), Christoph Barthe, Guénaël Mettraux and Fergal Gaynor as reserve judge (see here).
On 16 September 2026, it was this same panel that delivered the first-instance verdict. The Specialist Chambers announced that all four accused were found criminally responsible for unlawful/arbitrary arrest and detention, cruel treatment, torture and murder (see here).
Analyze
Hibrid.info's Google searches, in Albanian, English and Croatian, have not found the source of the statement attributed to Denis MacShane.
Also, the statement was not found on Index.hr, the medium that is presented as its source.
Meanwhile, there is a factual fact related to some of the content. Satabank has been fined approximately 3 million euros for violating anti-money laundering regulations. However, no credible evidence has been found that Smith received 3 million euros from Serbia through Satabank, that the money was withdrawn by Robert Smith, or that Denis MacShane made the statement published on Facebook.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info assesses this content as "Fake News".
rationale
The “Fake News” rating is given to informational content that is entirely fabricated or that contains factually incorrect claims or information. Content that is rated as fake news can be defined as having been created and distributed with the intent to misinform the public, i.e., to present a claim that is completely false as fact.