It was Joseph Muscat who signed Codruta Mallia’s citizenship certificate

Malta Today’s print edition reports this morning that it was Joseph Muscat, the prime minister, when he was acting Home Affairs Minister – no reason is given why he was acting Home Affairs Minister at the time – who signed off Codruta Mallia’s application for Maltese citizenship.

The government gave the information to the newspaper after a request was made under the Freedom of Information Act.

No explanation is given as to why the prime minister was acting Home Affairs Minister at the time, instead of his then Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia, to whom Codruta Mallia had just been married for around 18 months at the time.

This mise en scene allowed Manuel Mallia to strenuously deny that he had examined his wife’s citizenship application. This is the kind of argumentation that is typical of the long-time criminal trial lawyer.

It left journalists perplexed and convinced he was lying because the law states clearly that it is the Home Affairs Minister himself who must consider applications for Maltese citizenship and decide on them. The thought that somebody else was conveniently acting Home Affairs Minister at the time did not occur to anyone.

I see that Manuel Mallia was unable to change the shifty criminal lawyer habits of a lifetime.

“Hawn, Manuel, I’ve signed off on your wife’s citizenship application. So now toe the line and stop your driver from shooting people.”