So the matter is now in court.

“…The Review Board, in exercising the discretion it has in this regard, decided that there is no need for holding hearings or calling witnesses as this would unnecessarily prolong the Appeals process.” (page 8)

Aha, so hearings and callings of witnesses were deemed not necessary not because the available evidence was sufficient, or due to some other factor relating to reasonableness, but merely to expedite the appeals process. Is that justice according to Labour?

He’s the epitome of the Port Said hawker. You know, a sort of Maltese merchant writ large – looks included. He probably reckoned he’d be sitting in the House of Lords by now. That’s why he wants a British passport.

Interesting.

al-Fayer wants a British passport.

The British government has been ‘selling’ passport to investors for ages. I used to work for a Russian business after the collapse of the USSR, he set up a small business in the UK and was granted residency and eventually a citizenship. I knew that he did all this to get a British passport.

[Daphne – Absolutely nothing to do with it. Under the British system (like the American), you first go there, you set up shop, you spend years contributing to British/American society and the economy, and then you are allowed to APPLY for citizenship, which might – as in Mohammed Al Fayed’s famous case – be refused. Under Labour’s planned system, you put in the money and you get the passport immediately – along with passports for your children up to the age of 25, spouse, your parents and your spouse’s parents.]

Dak ivvota Labour fin-1996. U nahseb din id-darba ghamel l-istess. Halli ghalih.

Corruption galore.

Perhaps I am reading this wrong and the provision does not seek to limit other professionals entirely but does not permit them to market the service ie that they can still submit an application on behalf of their client. Even this would be wrong but at least not as bad.

We need to know more. Who will be doing the due diligence on behalf of Government. It simply cannot be anyone who is also submitting applications. That would be a huge conflict of interest. One is hardly going to reject an application that they are submitting themselves.

Moreover, if the legislation does intend to simply single out Henleys as the sole supplier of the service, this puts other professionals in the awkward and unenviable position of having to refer their clients to Henleys, when Henleys is the competition when it comes to company incorporations, trusts etc etc.

Finally, it seems that the last word on diligence rests with the Minister of Home Affairs. Now this man just happens to be a former criminal defense lawyer. So we know what his forma mentis is. How bloody ridiculous is that.

There is so much that is wrong about this Program that it beggars belief. I can appreciate that there is scope for a programme for people who really intend to live here and contribute significantly to our economy. Just putting a price tag to it, and such a low one at that, just is a form of prostituting our nationality and all that goes with it. Malta Taghna Ilkoll my foot. Malta tal-Barranin Jekk Ghandhom il-flus.

One step better than Mintoff and his waiver of visa requirements to Libyans in exchange for cheap oil.

Vera ma jisthux ibieghu lil ommhom jekk hemm bzonn