Coming soon: Malta to sell EU citizenship to selected Chinese oligarchs, Communist Party officials and favourites, and others

Published: October 7, 2013 at 3:19pm

Read Joseph Muscat’s words to Bloomberg today. He actually talks about “selling” residency and citizenship, and thinks that’s all right because “we are not selling it cheap”.

As a side note, please register the fact that he says this kind of thing to Bloomberg but when Maltese journalists ask him questions, he disrespects them with a ‘Why don’t you ask Austin Gatt/Tonio Fenech’.

——-

BLOOMBERG INTERVIEWER: Are you interested in encouraging Chinese to seek residency in Malta?

JOSEPH MUSCAT: We are interested in bringing in all those who are reputable people, who are willing to take up residence in Malta. We however, don’t do the hard selling. An address in Malta, residence in Malta, comes at a premium. So we are not into selling this right cheap. We have limited space in our country so we have to choose people carefully, no matter what nation they come from. In the next few months we will be issuing what I believe will be new exciting programs on residency and even citizenship. Again, due diligence and choosing the right type of person will be paramount.

—–

Now put this into the context of the document which the government quietly issued last month through Manuel Mallia’s ministry, for the setting up of Identity Malta.

It was immediately apparent from that document that one of the functions of Identity Malta, if not the primary function, would be the sale of Maltese (and therefore, EU) citizenship. Identity Malta is not an integral part of the public service system, but is directly within the control of the Home Affairs Ministry under which it was set up, and Joe Vella Bonici, a Labour Party electoral candidate, has been handpicked to run it.

Read the Identity Malta establishment order here, in this PDF document. It was brought in hush-hush on 10 September without any kind of Department of Information release, and nobody noticed until days later when somebody picked up on it and tipped off the press. But even then, the significance of what was contained in it was missed.

Identity Malta Agency establishment order 10 September 2013




39 Comments Comment

  1. It-Tezi ta' Mario says:

    “Due diligence and choosing the right type of person will be paramount” Muscat says.

    is that the same due diligence he exercised when appointing China’s agent, World Bank black listed Shiv Nair, as his consultant?

    http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2013/10/exclusive-the-first-publicly-available-photograph-of-muscats-world-bank-blacklisted-chinaenergyfdi-consultant/

  2. It-Tezi ta' Mario says:

    Why is Muscat talking about selling citizenship? The question was about residency. Isn’t selling citizenship illegal?

  3. Paddling Duck says:

    Not content with prostituting itself, Labour has now turned to prostituting Malta.

  4. Last Post says:

    With this blatant talk of selling and buying of rights at a premium he adopts the perfect (political) prostitute’s stance.

    Remember the phrase used to criticise the living condition under Gonzi’s government where “is-Suq Isuq” (the market rules)?

    And as if we haven’t noticed before, he now spells it clearly why he prefers the push-back option for immigrants:

    “We have limited space in our country so we have to choose people carefully … ”

    “In the next few months we will be issuing what I believe will be new exciting programs on residency and even citizenship …”

    “An address in Malta, residence in Malta, comes at a premium.”

    Terribly revolting.

    And he has the brass neck to quote the full St Francis (of Assisi) prayer to lure the gullible Maltese (catholic) electorate.

  5. Tabatha White says:

    500,000€ was probably a waiter’s fraction of a tip on this deal with JM or either of his envoys/ consultants laughing all the way to the bank.

  6. Kevin says:

    The words selling citizenship are critical here.

    It is important to distinguish this form of malpractice with other perfectly legitimate practices by, say the US or Australia, where people investing large sums of money are granted the right to work in the respective countries. Citizenship comes only after a long period of time.

    Where is Muscat taking Malta?

    • Jozef says:

      He wants to transform Malta into a hub for Chinese interests, that includes China’s vast forced distribution of its population. Going overseas to spread its interests has been identified as the next big thing by Beijing. Geo-social engineering on a global scale.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InqAzvX6UrI

      Imagine Astrid.

      • etil says:

        I would not say to transofrm Malta into a hub for Chinese interests – there are other nation’s interests in all this too.

        International fraudsters must be laughing their heads off at the easy way in which can obtain an EU passport.

        The prime minister is selling Maltese passports, but wot the hack. There are going to be a lot of Maltese people retiring in the Caribbean.

    • Josette says:

      Dritt għal ġol-ħajt.

  7. Paolo says:

    If they really wish to hand out passports, they could start here:

    http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/travel-10042013153826.html

    • Last Post says:

      At some point during the previous administration something similar was happening in India when a certain Wilfred Kenely, currently a University’s RIDT official, was High Commissioner there.

      At the time Labour’s SuperOne (rightly) made a fuss about him implying that he was party to scandalous sale of visas to Indians on the pretext of studying here. He was (not surprisingly) acquitted of such claims.

      Interestingly, Wilfred Kenely is a board member of La Vallette Corporation Ltd together with Dr Jaime Cremona (our octogenarian ambassador to Saudi Arabia) and the no-longer-so-mysterious government consultant and and World-Bank blacklisted SHIV NAIR.

      • H.P. Baxxter says:

        Wilfred Kenely isn’t just a RIDT official. He’s the CEO.

        Good old Malta, eh?

      • We are living in Financial Times says:

        Kenely might have just been given a couple of rewards for his passport “non-involvement,” but he has, as any other involved with Nair, equally just inherited a blacklisted-by-association status – perhaps not officially, but in the minds of the international RIDT network, the fulcrum of which is not that huge but well linked geopolitically.

      • H.P. Baxxter says:

        The RIDT is a flipping joke. Why else would they put Kenely in charge? Can’t we EVER do things right in this blessed country?

      • We are living in Financial Times says:

        Unless of course he’s counting on all the RIDT opportunities to come exclusively from Nair’s network of contacts and as such has an entrée to pre-trading and venture capitalist intelligence that shouldn’t be being leaked.

        This is rather like a house of cards. It won’t need a grigalata to tumble. Too many shady characters involved. Malta’s international pristine shine now has a shelf life – the way they planned it.

        This time the muscle is China. They’ve all gone “up” a level.

      • H.P. Baxxter says:

        The why don’t any of you speak out about this? You hold privileged positions and your career prospects are rock-solid, but you’d rather ingratiate yourselves with your peers. Commenting on this blog is useless.

      • We are living in Financial Times says:

        Baxxter, I did. Repeatedly. NO ONE listened except Daphne and my lawyer. I am in survival mode, since more than a couple of years and in more ways than one. I’m doing the best I can here.

        I have had my mail server attacked, my post diverted abroad, my bank activity become common knowledge, my employee approached to work against me, I have been followed, my mother’s car tyre given a puncture, people trying to get into my residence, documents going missing, people lying on affidavits, I have been mobbed for doing the right thing for years etc. NOW, I partially understand why.

        And I’m small fry.

        There’s nothing that’s rock solid. What I had to give up to stay straight, I did. I am not in a job position such as you think.

        Commenting on this blog is a lifeline.

      • H.P. Baxxter says:

        You know, I was struck by what you said about no one listening except Daphne. You should see my old governor. He thinks anyone with a degree propelled to high office actually deserves it and is doing a great job.

        The worst of it is that I get people like this Kenely, and other members of the inner circle of cognoscenti, trying to get all matey (albeit with a hint of condescension). As if we’re on the same level. No we’re not. They’re up there and I’m down here. It’s either that or being treated like scum. Then the condescension is in your face and at least you can do your best to avoid them.

      • etil says:

        Visas are nothing compared to being granted Maltese citizenship and having an EU passport.

      • We are living in Financial Times says:

        It’s not a matter of condescension. Never that. It’s a matter of ethics and morals.

        I wouldn’t even consider a “Kenely,” if I found out he was acting unethically and dishonestly.

      • We are living in Financial Times says:

        Apologies, Baxxter. That was a bit of a fast answer from me. We might be at different levels of “survival” experience. You mentioned shock treatment the other day: I’ve had it already. I said I’m doing the best I can here, and that’s to contribute to the exposure of this sham Democracy. Since, for better or worse, I find myself in the position to have insights to bring to it. I’m not here for pity or because I think people were condescending.

        It wasn’t a question of people not listening because they were condescending, but because their preconditioning couldn’t yet make head or tail of what I was talking about. Lost in translation type of thing. We’re talking similar educational level and career experience here. But it takes a different type of sensitivity to know what’s what, and something else altogether, to know what to do with it.

        Today the situation has advanced to the point that slowly there is more understanding out there. It is slowly sinking in. What good is it to say my instincts were right all along about exactly what was involved? Pre and post elections. Few people, without exactly my type of shock treatment, could have read this situation for what it was and is, except Daphne.

        She is not only thorough, patient and persevering but is at the right register of combined events, with a bird’s eye view, to have understood exactly what I meant by what I said. Two words were not necessary where one was sufficient. She is superbly sharp, diplomatic, correct, proper and logical. I am full of praise for her work and thought.

      • H.P. Baxxter says:

        Well, I don’t know who you are, but I do know the identity of some of the other people posting comments here (because they told me). And they make me sick.

        They’re all wit and sharp commentary against the evils of Labour on this blog. But out there in the real world they’re all smiles and academic neutrality.

        They forget that they built their careers, and that they became important enough to become pundits, through their association with the Nationalist Party. When push came to shove they hopped onto the fence, and some even wrote academically-disguised prose on the beauties of the view on the other side.

        So there. They may think they’re above all this, but they’re the worst among our countrymen: the connivers and freeloaders.

        If you’re reading this, and you recognise yourself, know then that you disgust me.

      • We are living in Financial Times says:

        Touché? ce n’est guère le cas. Vous vous êtes mal placé, Monsieur. Je suis de vos couleurs.

        Enchantée? c’est beaucoup trop tôt.

  8. Joe Fenech says:

    Interesting times ahead..

  9. bull's eye says:

    Democracy works well ONLY in a country where the people are literate. Democracy, here in Malta, is a sham.

  10. manum says:

    JOSEPH MUSCAT: “We are interested in bringing in all those who are reputable people, who are willing to take up residence in Malta.”

    If his definition of good repute is somebody like his friend and consultant Shiv Nair, then help us God.

    • Josette says:

      Could he enact a law which rids us of disreputable people? That way we would get rid of quite a few of the millstones hanging around our necks.

  11. Manuel says:

    Times of Malta is very quiet. Maybe it’s still listening out for the ticking of Tonio’s clock.

  12. Stephen Borg Fiteni says:

    I don’t understand. Is it possible to literally sell citizenship for money?

    [Daphne – Well, yes, of course. Passports are issued by the government, not by an independent body. The only controlling factor is EU membership, because a Maltese passport is an EU passport. Beyond that, it can be a free for all.]

  13. Grezz says:

    Maybe The Times of Malta will pick up the matter, just as try dd with this, a day after you did http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131008/local/Dyson-empire-quitting-Malta.489437#.UlP4r8saySM

  14. Gowzef says:

    The only other EU state that offers citizenship by investment is Austria. Minimum investment is one million euros. Other states which offer this kind of investment are the Commonwealth of Dominica (USD150000) and St.Kitts and Nevis (USD500000).

  15. Steve says:

    So after going on about us being invaded by immigrants, and not having enough space for them, he’s prepared to accept immigrants as long as they pay.

    We either have space or we don’t. You can’t have it both ways.

    As I thought all along. Nothing to do with space, and everything to do with the colour of their skin, and how much they have in their pockets.

  16. kevin zammit says:

    For Eur650,000, apparently.

  17. wardaddoqq says:

    Money money money

  18. Dan says:

    I thought the reason why Muscat wanted to ship immigrants back to their abject misery is because Malta lacks the necessary resources to accommodate them. But apparently the issue of space shouldn’t be a problem if you’re white and wealthy.

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