The New York Times is running a big article today: ‘Citizenship-for-Cash Program in Malta Stirs Security Concerns in European Union’
PARIS — A program in Malta that offers citizenship for cash is raising concern among officials who fear it could open a back door into Europe and the United States for swindlers, criminals or terrorists who can afford the price tag of up to $1.57 million.
The program, which was begun in February, has already attracted interest from hundreds of applicants, including Chinese billionaires, wealthy Russians and executives from countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, United Arab Emirates and Libya.
Citing worries about security, opposition leaders in Malta, a Mediterranean island 50 miles south of Sicily, moved last month to block the plan. But the motion was defeated and the governing Labour Party, which has a large majority, is forging ahead with the program, which it hopes will raise $1.9 billion for development projects and job creation
Read the rest via the link below.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/world/europe/citizenship-for-cash-program-in-malta-stirs-security-concerns-in-european-union.html?_r=0
Isn’t ‘il-Guy’ over-emphasising his happiness?
““People are asking me whether I’m happy with the decision. Of course I am happy, we are in government, we have the biggest majority, we have Joseph Muscat as prime minister, I am happy to become commissioner and I am sure that this district will show that it is behind the party in the forthcoming European elections,” he emphatically said.” (Malta Today)
One cannot help but wonder whether Malta’s IIP really does have a much darker side to it, opening the doors of Europe to swindlers, criminals, tyrants, money launderers, fraudsters and terrorists alike.
Whilst PM Muscat considers himself as a ‘market’ leader with vision, a trendsetter with foresight, all he is doing is surfing the dying wake of a trend that has, time and again, proved to be subject to serious abuse.
Countries that are serious about their own security such as Canada, are doing away with similar schemes. There is indeed nothing visionary about this cash-for-passports scheme and PM Muscat seems intent on missing the wood for the trees and in doing so, keeps on refusing to see the writing that is very clearly written on the wall.
This scheme, may have been designed in the best of faith, but can easily end up having more sinister conclusions. Let us not forget the lessons learned from the Lockerbie saga and how hard it has been for Malta to try to restore its reputation ever since. And that was when, we were not selling passports.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/United-Against-Sale-of-Maltese-Citizenship/743546829003845
I guess the PN and their friends are at it again, then.
See this http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-04-05/news/ministry-can-request-ability-reports-on-students-from-childcare-to-university-4498784258/
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-04-06/news/ministers-resignation-letter-to-media-mysteriously-disappears-4518117376/
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-04-06/news/lng-terminal-pl-mep-asks-ec-if-pn-opposition-is-being-democratic-in-its-criticism-4517232641/
I’m truly sorry about this, but this Marlene Mizzi is an idiot.
There’s nothing democratic in engineering.
Nor is one entitled to have an ‘opinion’ about the behaviour of gas or the viability and safety of the proposal.
I give up.
It’s not going to go away, is it? Not in the international press, at least.
Sadly it must be admitted that Malta has long become accustomed to become a pariah state in the free world ever since the MLP tied Malta to the bloodstained bandwagons of Gaddafi, Romania, North Korea etc when Mintoff and Alex Sceberras Trigona ruled the roost.
Evidently those “(Un)Happy Days Are Here Again” (music by Milton Ager, lyric by J Yellon.) under new management.
These concerns are not going to go away until the Maltese government starts managing the program itself, and not handing it over to a private company who will make money only if it helps its clients pass due diligence.
For now this Maltese program is the most tainted, and most concerning economic citizenship program in the world. The government will have to listen, at some point, to the voice of reason, as soon enough, the newspaper will not speak about the possibility of security problems, but will speak about the problems that happened already because of this program.
http://www.maltarightnow.com/?module=news&at=Pressjoni+minn+fuq+biex+ma%27+titte%26%23295%3Bidx+azzjoni+kontra+pulizija+fis%2Dsakra+u+ie%26%23295%3Bor+involut+f%27%26%23295%3Babta&t=a&aid=99855520&cid=19
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2598157/Gaddafi-kept-dead-enemies-killed-CIA-hit-squad-coolers-viewing-ran-university-rape-dungeon-documentary-reveals.html
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140406/local/24m-bus-deal-just-hours-before-tendering-deadline.513755
How this administration’s decisions and actions have to be uncovered via rumour or pointed questions by the press has become the norm.
May we know who this company is, what models of ‘brand new’ buses these are, and what happens to the current tender?
Given the shambles the fleet is in, a yellow BUS563 belching fumes as it crawled up towards Birgu last one I came across, can we also please restart the SMS thingy?
Isn’t this place wonderful? There they were, promising a brighter, cleaner future and all we got was the return of the fabled yellow bus, and not even the vintage ones to boot.
Surely this deal has to be justified, explained and some semblance of strategy outlined.
They will destroy any possibility of picking up the pieces when they’re gone. Their irresponsibility knows no bounds.
I flew from Luton to Budapest with my brother who is a Maltese passport holder. I hold a British passport.
At immigration control in Budapest I was waved through immigration just by showing the cover of my British passport. When my brother presented his Maltese passport, the Hungarian immigration officer spent a long time examining it, and the passengers behind him were not impressed for holding them up. He was very embarrassed.
Which the EU, our supposedly only remaining hope, didn’t challenge when the push came to shove.
Hudu go fikom inthom ukoll, issa.
Joseph Muscat wants to believe he didn’t know about the Freeport application to MEPa to carry out maintenance on ships. How come when MEPA is infested with Labour spies.
Taghna ilkoll update:
I do not know which Minister or Parlamentary secretary is using GM 22 but he needs learn some manners. Today I was at the Gharghur Milk Festival and noticed the minister’s car. I was temporarily distracted when the minster entered the car so I did not see who he was.
He went in at the front leaving his wife at the back and the driver ended up belting the child (in a car seat) himself. But that is just the tip of the iceberg.
The car was in a street which was blocked off to traffic with the standard metal barriers. The driver moved the two barriers to get the ministerial car out of the street.
Once he drove out, I assumed he was going to stop the car and replace the barriers. To my shock and surprise he just sped off.
Some idiot would say ‘uwijja it’s not a problem’. But with the barriers removed any car could just drive into a zone which was purposely closed off for pedestrians.
Apart from the inconvenience and the havoc which could ensue there is a degree of safety as well. A real case of I’m all right, Jack hamallagni.
So if there is interest in the scheme – and the government has said there has been already – what has happened to the setting up of a public fund which will administer the “elf biljun” of euros which the government said the Citizenship 4 Cash would bring in?
Has anyone – or Parliament maybe – seen the statutory document that will regulate such fund?
Has a board been appointed to run such fund?
It’s “elf biljun” euros we are talking about here.
The New York Times has clearly smelt the little twerp’s coffee