Why all these lies? Can’t they play straight at all?
When the prime minister announced his (cosmetic) changes to the sale of passports scheme, he told reporters at the press conference that Henley & Partners would not retain their monopoly and that other consultancy firms – he mentioned PriceWaterhouse Coopers and Deloitte in particular – had been put on the same footing.
This has now turned out to be a brazen lie, and while he spoke it, David Curmi of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Tony Zahra representing nobody but himself, Joe Bannister of the Malta Financial Services Authority and that man from Finance Malta sat next to him in tacit approval, even though they knew it wasn’t true.
The Sunday Times of Malta reported last Sunday that Henley & Partners remains the sole promoter, administrator and operator of the sale of passports programme.
I quote from that report:
Various financial services practitioners, including large law and audit firms, contacted The Sunday Times of Malta saying they had received, from Henley & Partners, an ‘introducers form’ to fill in if they wished to “enter into a business relationship” with Henley in the scheme.
This authorization enables Henley to conduct due diligence on these other firms before they become eligible to act as agents for the programme, licensed by Identity Malta, a government agency.
(…) it is clear that Henley & Partners is still totally in command of the programme and that Maltese firms will only act as their agents.
(…)
A new legal notice, published on Christmas Eve, a day after Muscat’s announcement, clearly shows its position has remained intact. The legal notice states that as ‘concessionaire’, Henley & Partners remains responsible for the design, implementation, administration, operation and promotion of the programme.
The legal notice also makes it clear that Henley & Partners will be responsible for receiving the Eur650,000 contribution per application that will only be disbursed to Identity Malta “within five days of issuance of certificates (of naturalization)”.
Questions sent to the Ministry for Home Affairs to explain the difference between Henley & Partners and future Maltese financial services firms wanting to promote and sell the programme remained unanswered.
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Come on all together now: ‘Giddibien giddibien u tal-Labour giddibien’.
The slogan ‘I’m in’ heavily used by the PL during the campaign comes to mind: Malta Chamber of Commerce and the MFSA are in too.
They now form part of a huge lying machine which we thought was in Marsa but is now residing officially at Castille.
The PM managed to put them ‘in’ his pockets and uses them when he deems it useful to his lying and deceit.
You know, if you have such people sitting next to you, you make it more official since their presence endorses what you are stating. That’s food for the gullible, however.
In the future, they will have a lot of explaining to do. The day will come when they will be shamed together with the Lord of Castille and his twerps.
I don’t know what’s more pathetic, Henley and Partners asking for introductions, or PWC and Deloitte bringing their clients forward.
And David Curmi and the rest sitting there in tacit approval. Il-vera pacocci.
In a different field but the in the same spirit of wicked information giving compare these two articles:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140108/local/babies-suffer.501803#.Us00CPRDt8F
http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-zones/respiratory/how-to-recognise-respiratory-syncytial-virus-in-babies/1921233.article
Isn’t it just swell to be living in Malta.
They lie because they don’t know better.
They lie because they are a sham government. Perhaps sooner rather than later they will be recognised for what they really are — a bunch of amateurs and nincompoops.
They lie because they believe that we are all stupid. And we might as well be if polls showing Muscat’s approval rating are to be believed. What a mess.
I would have thought that given his long experience at the Malta Financial Services Authority, Joe Bannister would have been among the first to reject the scheme as a scam and as deleterious to our reputation and economy.
No one rises to the top by expressing disagreement in Malta. No one.
A totally amoral government. Morally corrupt. To the core.
And all this in barely 9 months.
Can any one imagine what is going to happen to this country by 2018?
In yesterday’s Times, there is a opinion piece written by Nuri Katz, where he states that the 650,000 euros will be transferred not to the Maltese government but to Henley & Partners who can keep it interest free for up to two years and if Henley & Partners loses the money it has no liability.
If this is correct, it is madness.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140107/opinion/Scheme-even-worse-now.501681#.Us1he38gGK0
The thing is, that the agreement between the Maltese government and Henley & ‘whatstheirname’, is still secret.
We only were told some “nice” parts of it, like they did in the budget.
Have PWC and Deloitte made a statement? If not why not?
As for Henley & Partners, it seems that they really have tied this one up in more ways than one.
Not only have they established rather high fees which are to be the set price to clients which they will esrn over their clients and everyone else’s, not only do they get paid a commission out of the contribution the new citizen has to pay, but they get to sit on the EUR650,000 of each client which could earn them more in terms of interest on that money.
No wonder they are fighting tooth and nail to control this scam. The question is why is Muscat bending over backwards to accommodate them putting at risk, nay, destroying, Malta’s reputation in the process?
If PwC or Deloitte make a statement and contradict the prime minister, they will forgo any consultancy work for the next four years. Everyone is scared of the MLP, it is quite implicit.
We are not talking of a normal government here, but a vindictive and violent regime.
Yes – they will forgo much business but will have retained their professional integrity and the respect due thereof.
Playing straight? That’s too optimistic, I’m afraid.
Forsi l-Prim Ministru mhux jigdeb biss qieghed izda anke jibla wkoll dak kollu li jghidlu u jivvintalu Manuel Mallia li bla dubju ta’ xejn ghandu prepotenza kbira fuq Joseph Muscat.
Min jaf x’hemm u x’inhu ghaddej bejniethom?
Xi darba tohrog il-verita’ tafux.
The press conference shows how many c*** suckers are running this country. All they care about is power or access to power. After all, its in mankinds human nature to want to feel important and to keep your job and make lots of money. The PM knows what strings to pull.
I tasted the vindictive attitude of Labour first hand. Not only did it not frighten me but it filled me with courage and dreadnought.
Each and every stroke of their whip as they flogged filled my DNA with maturity, steadfastness and determination that NEVER WILL LABOUR EVER WIN ME TO THEIR SIDE.
I stand on my two feet, tall, proud and determined to go forward.