Min ser jixtri c-cittadinanza Maltija xorta m’ghandux ghalfejn jigi jghix hawn ghal sena ahseb u ara kemm ser jinvesti u johloq impiegi f’Malta.

Now they are eager to give passports to people who might never reside in Malta and have no connection with us.

Today, I have heard of this person:

Bulat Utemuratov: “He is a former national security council secretary, advisor to the Kazakh president, and still ambassador for special assignments. He is on the Forbes list of richest billionaires. He is the owner of banks and other properties in Kazakhstan and Europe.

Made his billions while ‘serving’ as a top civil servant.”

Perhaps he’s to be the “role model” for civil servants?

A person of calibre?

I am sure Something and Henley, aided and abetted by the Malta government, have already set up the mechanism to falsify the residence requirement.

Against payment of a fee, of course.

If the Malta government had any doubt that the new amendment would make it more difficult for potential applicants it would not have mooted the idea of increasing the cap. Quite the opposite.

The EU Commission seems so naïve in its dealings with the PL government that it is small wonder the Union is in such a terrible mess on most fronts.

The EU has been reduced to a monstrous gravy-train run by amateurs.

The moment Angela Merkel pulls the plug it will hit the buffers.

If by coming out with a law, then change it three times plus a 90% condemnation from the European Parliament is a sort of a WIN, then there is truly no hope for these islands. Wonder what the switchers are actually thinking.

The scheme is still a sale of citizenship, 183 days in Malta notwithstanding, and it does not project any investment.

The Commission is now accepting at least what should be the minimum. It is up to us to decide whether we still want to give a price to our citizenship to persons who do not invest in our country, but only make a one-off purchase.

I just wonder if it is true, that these people really believe that their failures are successes, or they are so capable of believing what they feel is necessary to believe.

The Prime Minister’s stance in hailing this latest amendment as minor and stressing that this doesn’t necessarily infer that applicants need to spend 12 months in Malta is arrogance at its best.

One comes readily to mind: Mary Swan, John Dalli’s friend and client, an international fraudster who has had to resort to the use of a false The Philippines passport in the past.

I second the sentiment. I expected the European Commission to request and impose a longer residence requirement not to mention minimum due-diligence standards. Instead, it has stamped a vague approval on the scheme.

I fear this may turn to a price war between member states. When the dust settles, the member states who relied heavily on the income will be up shit creek without a paddle.