Michael Lucas of Henley & Partners says in private emails about Malta’s sale of citizenship programme and Government-Opposition discussion on changes: “We are doing all we can to ensure that any proposed changes will have minimal impact on the viability of the Programme.”
From: Michael Lucas – Henley & Partners
Date: 29 November 2013
Subject: MIIP | Briefing
Dear ……………
Since our first briefing issued on 7 November, Parliament has passed amendments to the Maltese Citizenship Act to support the launch of the Malta IIP (‘Programme’), the President has signed the amendments and the Programme is now law.
We still await publication of the Regulations which will contain the final program criteria and will include, inter alia, the application forms, procedures, checklists and agreements. All of this is now expected to be available by mid-December.
The Government is meeting with the Opposition and is prepared to make certain concessions to the Programme criteria in order to gain a broader “buy-in” from various stakeholders. One such concession is that the names of those who are granted citizenship will be published in some form or another. Other concessions may soon be announced. We are doing all we can to ensure that any proposed changes will have minimal impact on the viability of the Programme.
As soon as the Regulations are available I will circulate Guidance Notes together with the form of wording approved by the government for communicating the Programme. In the meantime I will continue to ask for professional restraint as we all eagerly anticipate the launch of the Pilot Phase. As you may imagine, any concessions being considered by the Government will also need to be included in the Guidance Notes. I can confirm, however, that the application forms have now been completed and approved by Identity Malta.
I am also pleased to confirm that the client fees which will be payable for processing Programme applications will be set as follows:
• € 70,000 for the main applicant; + € 15,000 for spouses; + € 15,000 for each dependent aged 18 years and over and € 10,000 for each dependent under the age of 18 years
• A payment on account of these fees will be due in the sum of € 10,000.
During the Pilot Phase, ARMs will earn 50% of these client fees in respect of successful Programme applications.
Our goal is to be in a position to submit completed applications to the Government as early as late December/early January.
In the meantime, may I ask you please to confirm your interest in introducing applicants to the Programme by emailing: [email protected]
AnneMarie will then email you our ‘MIIP | Introducers Form’ which will allow us to complete our own due diligence formalities and commence a formal business relationship.
I very much look forward to working with you.
Kind regards
Yours sincerely
Michael
Michael Lucas FCA CTA
Managing Director
Henley & Partners
Malta Ltd
Aragon House
Dragonara Road
St Julian’s
STJ 3140
Malta
Telephone +356 2138 7400
Facsimile +356 2138 6401
Direct +356 2248 8101
Mobile +356 7976 6076
Email [email protected]
Internet www.henleyglobal.com/malta
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“One such concession is that the names of those who are granted citizenship will be published in some form or another.”
There is only one ‘form’ and that is publication in the Malta Government Gazette.
PN, be careful.
The key to unearthing the true meaning of this scheme is in the last paragraph – “due diligence FORMALITIES”. So, no real screening, other than checking that the applicant’s bank account contains a minimum of 750.000 euros.
I’m surprised that no one has pointed out how this scheme will fail, no matter how successful people think it might be initially. As far as I can tell, its failure is a mathematical certainty.
why?
So a private firm can “DO” something to ensure the changes will not impact “SALES”. Great co-operation between government and private sector, I don’t think.
“Names will be published in some form or another”
What the hell does this mean?
Will they use pseudonyms?
Will it be in alias?
Or the nickname version: Ganni ta’ Hax-Xluq or Marija l-Maws.
It would be very interesting to know what these ‘concessions’ are. Can the right to know who is acquiring these passports for sake of transparency ever be referred to as a concession?
Why does the government have to compromise on this? Shouldn’t he be in a position to make the rules of the game or is he under undue pressure for some reason we do not know?
The government is under pressure. That’s why the scheme was rushed in,
The names of those who are granted citizenship will be published “in some form or another”.
This email confirms Malta is at the nadir of its five thousand year history .
F’sitt xhur dawn iz-zibel zebblu u qahhbu pajjiz zghir li f’hames telef sena rnexxilu jikseb indipendenza mill-barrani, jsir repubblika u membru shih tal-Unjoni Ewropeja.
Shame on you, ja zibel.
These people are nothing but glorified sales persons out to make a quick buck selling OUR citizenship. Why quick buck?
Because once their names have been published, the shit will hit the proverbial fan, and the new passport holders will be harassed till kingdom come, word will go round and we might just about get our country back.
Peter Paul, you’re obviously the eternal optimist.
‘We are doing all we can to ensure that any proposed changes will have minimal impact on the viability of the Programme’
Which implies Henley and Partners are now effectively piloting this government in ongoing discussions in parliament.
Or better, they’re doing everything to force this sham through notwithstanding the electorate.
Vote Labour get Henley.
Perhaps this Michael Lucas cares to explain what it is he’s doing.
When the scam artist is discovered in a scam, it is renegotiated. Always. Important to remember that the scam remains a scam and that the party engaging in a renegotiation will only discover that the scam has continued despite the original renegotiation. What the scam artist is doing is buying time so that the original scam is then modified and kept from the table. The scam continues in the dark.
Anyone who negotiates with a scam artist is the loser for it.
It sometimes takes 15 years to get the full measure of just one of the artists scams. And a perspective on all that has been ground into oblivion by sabotage. Sabotage happens by the scam artist himself because the emphasis is on the scam benefits and not the true objectives that they are masked under.
The scam artist shrugs off negative media coverage. It forms part of the elements necessary to his act.If it was pristine there would be no space for con manoevering. Once he has achieved the position of power there is no real threat to that position, unless there is a rebellion within his own pyramids that refuses to be quashed.
“Our goal is to be in a position to submit completed applications to the Government as early as late December/early January.”
So efficient aren’t they? They write this on the 29 November. So much for ‘the most thorough due diligence process’ promised.
“We are doing all we can to ensure that any proposed changes will have minimal impact on the viability of the Programme.”
And yet, government officials insist that Henley & Co have no conflict of interest in being the seller and the evaluator (based on “our own due diligence formalities”) of the IIP scheme.
Shame on you JM and all the Lejber pimps and lackeys.
There seems to be some major communication problem between our minister for finance and Henley & Co. Dawn jafu x’hinumha jaghmlu jew.
The viability of the programme – huh. Viable for whom? Henleys of course. They were so pleased with themselves to have had this all wrapped up. That they had sold it to the government and found Government officials so gullible, corrupt or both to go along with their scheme to make themselves millions at the expense of Malta’s reputation.
So ARMS will earn 50% of the fees of their own clients – and this only when the application is successful. So they get the find the client, do all the work and only share 50% of the fees, if the application is successful.
And the gall of it – they are asking for professional restraint – when they were the ones to market this before it even was law even offering to fast track applications if they were paid more.
If the Government is to salvage any form of credibility in this mess, they should get rid of these mercenaries now.
They can’t. It’s pay back time for services rendered for the electoral campaign.
Unless we, the Maltese citizens, do everything in our power to stop this horrendous scheme, the corrupt Labour government has no option but to let it happen. Debts have to be honoured.
Michael Lucas, you should send a memo to the finance minister giving him your company’s name. Your company must have had a field day working with this bunch.