It doesn’t matter what the government says about due diligence.The impression it’s given out there is just terrible.
The impression out there is that this is going to be used as a sort of witness protection programme for crooks – without the ‘witness’ bit.
But are we surprised? What sort of people buy a passport, beyond the legitimate few?
This email came in from a (non-Maltese) acquaintance who had just read the big article about Malta’s passports, in The New York Times:
Wow. Bring the money and become Maltese. It doesn’t matter how many people you have killed under your old nationality.
I can already see a neighbourhood with all the drug lords of Latin America living next to each other.
Also, an ultra modern building with 3 to 5 million dollar apartments full of corrupt politicians, paying the mortgage to XXXX’s penthouse on the 15th floor with views over the Mediterranean sea.
Welcome, everyone, with open arms.
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Murder. Now, that’s an interesting point. Much fuss has been made about the source of applicants’ funds but little has been said about the individual’s personal track record.
Henley and Something’s representative said on Xarabank that unless a clean police conduct certificate is presented, an applicant would not be accepted – not by Henley and something, perhaps, but possibly by the catering minister’s discretionary judgement, since Mallia is vested with such powers.
Now, tell me:
1. How many South American drug lords have a dirty police certificate listing all the murder and mayhem they have caused?
2. How many corrupt Chinese government officials who are still in power cannot present clean conduct certificates issued by the police?
3. How many Azeribajni businessmen/government (un)officials (same difference) are terrified of presenting their police conduct certificates?
Let’s face it, even Shiv Nair, black listed by the World Bank, has been able to get past this government’s due diligence tests. We have no reason to doubt that. The prime minister told us so himself.
This deserves ‘ Top Comment ‘ Daphne !
“Henley and Something’s representative said on Xarabank that unless a clean police conduct certificate is presented, an applicant would not be accepted – not by Henley and something, perhaps, but possibly by the catering minister’s discretionary judgement, since Mallia is vested with such powers.”
Clearly, Henley and someone have not (or give the impression of) read the damn legal notice otherwise they would be aware of the following clause.
Section 5(b) requires a police certificate to be provided. But there is a but:
“a police certificate issued by the Malta police as well as a police certificate issued by the competent authorities in the country of origin and in the country or countries of residence where the applicant has resided for a period of more than six months during the last ten years, or in exceptional cases where it is proved to the satisfaction of Identity Malta that such a certificate is not obtainable, a sworn affidavit made by the applicant and any dependants, declaring a clean criminal record;”
It is very clear that if you cannot provide a clean police conduct certificate, then you can (with discretion) swear an affidavit saying that you have been a good boy or girl.
This government couldn’t even carry out a proper due diligence on Shiv Nair, a not-so-insignificant adviser to this government, who was blacklisted by the World Bank.
Our PM now expects us to trust Manuel Mallia & Co. to carry out proper due diligence tests to weed out any other similarly ‘talented’ crooks.
There will be no due diligence process in the new IIP. The government has reserved the right to accept anyone with or without good due diligence.
Shocking.
Actually, isn’t it more correct to say that “The Minister has reserved the right to accept anyone with or without good due diligence”?
Absolutely shocking.
I once read about a due diligence sieve. Think it was a report issued in Argentina.