John Huber (“adviser to the Maltese government”) goes to London to tell people how to buy a passport from Muscat and Mallia (going cheap at EUR25,000)

Published: October 14, 2013 at 12:19pm

How has John Huber cropped up in the mix? We learn from Finance Malta’s website that he’s an “adviser to the government” on this sale of passports thing, and that he’ll be speaking in London on how to buy one.

Isn’t there a massive conflict of interest, besides everything else? John Huber is a tax-and-residency consultant. He makes a living by advising people on how to obtain residency in Malta for tax purposes.

So while he’s speaking at this London convention to explain the Malta government’s position, he’s in a great place to pick up clients for his own business, with clout-billing as somebody who’s advising the government.

Another thing: exactly which cabinet minister is handling this? So far it’s Manuel Mallia for Identity Malta, Owen Bonnici for the legislation, Edward Zammit Lewis is quoted by Finance Malta, and the Finance Minister, in whose remit it should properly be, is silent.

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(…)

According to FinanceMalta Head of Business Development Bruno L’ecuyer, the summit provides delegates with an opportunity to hear from a highly respected panel of more than 40 speakers, including the Maltese speaker John Huber, who is an adviser to the Maltese Government on the structure of the Global Residence Programme, forming part of an integral package of laws aimed at positioning Malta internationally as a finance centre.

(…)

During the summit John Huber will present Malta to the delegates and explain Malta’s existing programmes, recent trends and possible future developments. These programmes can be used as an effective tool by wealthy individuals, high net worth business investors, entrepreneurs and self-employed persons.

Mr. Huber says, “Malta is a EU Member State that is stable, neutral and highly respected with a successful track-record in financial services. We have strict due diligence requirements thereby ensuring quality applicants. Malta’s Global Residence Programme was announced in June and enacted some time later and, so this is one of our first opportunities to explain the new programme and alert fellow professionals to the respective elements of the programme.”

Under the new Global Residence Programme non-EU nationals shall be able to take up residence in Malta and thereby move freely within Schengen as long as they satisfy minimum parameters on an annual basis. Under the new Global Residence Programme, foreign residents including their dependents would have to be covered by health insurance.

Mr. Huber says, “I shall be addressing the Citizenship by Investment & International Residence Summit 2013 in London mainly to showcase the recently announced Global Residence Programme. We are already witnessing renewed interest in Malta and as the Summit shall be mainly attended by relocation and immigration advisers from all over the world, we shall be broadening our reach and also speak to the people that ultimately advise the decision makers. We shall also be driving the message that we are not only an international financial centre of excellence but also a destination of choice for private wealth.”




14 Comments Comment

  1. Manuel says:

    http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/oct/14/george-osborne-china-visa?CMP=fb_gu

    The British government is offering visas only and not passports.

    • Joe Fenech says:

      It does not make a big difference as after a couple of years these people will be entitled to British citizenship.

  2. kurzita says:

    ‘ foreign residents would have to be covered by health insurance ‘ An what happens if after they get hold of a Maltese passport they cancel the health insurance ?

    • It-Tezi ta' Mario says:

      EU citizens are entitled to use public healthcare services. That includes EU citizens who buy their way in using a Maltese passport.

  3. It all Stinks says:

    I wonder what deal John Huber struck with the government. One would think that he would be naturally incensed that he cannot offer citizenship to his clients and that he would have to refer them to Henleys. Unless he too obtained a special authorisation from the government so he doesn’t care about the rest of the professionals who have been shafted.

  4. Osservatore says:

    Here come the few vultures who have been selected to feed off the politician’s droppings.

  5. observer says:

    Is John Huber a ‘man for all seasons’ by any chance – or an unusual and uncommon ‘survivor’?

    Unless I am mistaken, he was adviser to a particular minister in the previous administration.

    His publication, detailing his many-faceted activities in the field of tax-advising, shows him rubbing elbows with Tonio Fenech (at the finance ministry, I should presume).

    Tempora mutantur – et nos mutamur cum illis.

  6. anthony says:

    “A highly respected panel of more than forty speakers”?

    Are they all on the World Bank blacklist?

    The crème de la crème of international fraudsters, money launderers, tax evaders and alta sociedad pimps.

  7. bookworm says:

    A couple of months ago we were invited by HSBC for a 20 minute overview of this global residence programme. The speaker was John Huber himself and he said that he wasn’t representing the Government’s interests on this. Now a self declared expert, he’s become a Government consultant. Let’s hope that where he’ ll host the seminar he’ll have the decency to provide some chairs.

  8. Ghoxrin Punt says:

    Interesting how that ‘will have to buy health insurance’ is being bandied about, like only rich people can afford this and we want to ensure that no one milks our public health system.

    No one has made reference to the fact that the EU issued a directive last year, wherein it stipulated that any non-EU person working in the EU has to be covered by a private health policy.

    This requirement was set up precisely to protect the multitude of Chinese manual workers entering Europe (primarily Eastern Europe). So no, this is not our government being smart and protecting us, this is an EU requirement that ensures that cheap labour does not become even cheaper.

  9. Will John Huber explain to his listeners that Malta’s present high standing is the result of 26 years (less a break of less than 2 years) of a Nationalist government, and that now we are embarking on a change?

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