At a press conference in Castille Square in Valletta on Saturday, ADPD – The Green Party spokespersons Carmel Cacopardo and Mario Mallia said that the party was the only one which consistently insisted that the ‘golden passports’ scheme was not acceptable because citizenship should not be up for sale. ADPD calls for the scheme to be discontinued forthwith without waiting for this to be imposed upon us.

ADPD – The Green Party Deputy Chairperson and candidate Mario Mallia stated that the discussions about the citizenship scheme that were again in the news both locally and within European Parliament structures during the past week confirmed what has always been clear: the Member States’ competence in relation to citizenship is not an absolute one.

EU treaties refer to the loyalty principle which should be adopted by Member States. Article 4.3 of the EU Treaty explains that there should be sincere cooperation and loyalty between Member States. As has been reported extensively in the media many of those who received Maltese citizenship through the ‘golden passport’ scheme had been previously charged with fraud, contraband, money laundering and tax evasion. All this after Malta had carried out its supposedly ‘rigorous’ due diligence!

It is no wonder then that the report being put up for discussion at the European Parliament next month says that these schemes had been set up primarily in those Member States that were subject to risks related to financial secrecy, such as tax avoidance and evasion, money laundering, and corruption.

What is wrong remains wrong – in spite of all the theatrics we saw from the Nationalist Party’s  side this week with respect to the regulator, nothing, not even PN’s posturing, will negate the fact that, as also stated in the EP report, European values are not for sale and European citizenship should not be considered as a product to be marketed, concluded Mallia.

ADPD – The Green Party Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo stated that citizenship matters were the competence of  the individual Member States. But this was not an absolute right. Each Member State had an obligation, on the basis of the loyalty principle as explained in the EU treaties, not to do anything that impacts on the other Member States. EU citizenship gives free movement rights within the Schengen area – a right that no country can grant to anyone who is not entitled to it!

Many cases have been identified in the media where persons who obtained citizenship ‘by investment’ had been involved in financial crime in spite of all the supposedly careful due diligence that should have been carried out. There have also been cases of persons who could be considered as a threat to security involved in the scheme. Citizenship had been sold to grant freedom of movement to persons that were or could be a security risk to the EU. The report presented to the European Parliament highlights that this risk cannot be properly assessed because of a lack of transparency as well as weak vetting of the applicants. In this regard besides Malta, the report also refers to similar schemes in Cyprus and Bulgaria.

Although the Maltese government had revised the original scheme with an increased emphasis on residency, this can still lead to citizenship. So far, there has not been any feedback from the European Commission about the revised scheme.

However, the proposal being put forward to the European Parliament next month requests that such schemes are discontinued by not later than 2025. ADPD calls for the scheme to be discontinued forthwith without waiting for this to be imposed upon us.

ADPD is the only party that has consistently insisted that the ‘golden passports’ schemes are not acceptable because they attracted persons linked to financial criminality, as has in fact resulted, but also put our country in the spotlight leading to irreparable damage as in the case of the FATF grey listing. We have voiced our concerns about this since the first scheme was proposed in 2014.

It is only ADPD Members of Parliament that will ensure that the necessary changes will be carried out so that our country regains the trust as a safe haven for investment and business, concluded Cacopardo.

***

Il-bejgħ taċ-ċittadinanza mhux aċċettabli

Waqt konferenza stampa quddiem Kastilja il-Belt is-Sibt, il-kelliema ta’ ADPD – The Green Party, Carmel Cacopardo u Mario Mallia qalu li ADPD – The Green Party huwa l-unika partit li konsistentement dejjem saħaq li l-iskema tal-bejgħ taċ-ċittadinanza mhix aċċettabbli għaliex iċ-ċittadinanza mhix oġġett għall-bejgħ. ADPD titlob li din l-iskema titwaqqaf minnufih mingħajr ma nistennew li din titwaqqaf mill-UE.

“Id-diskussjoni dwar l-iskemi taċ-ċittadinanza li reġgħu fl-aħbarijiet kemm f’pajjiżna kif ukoll fi ħdan l-organi tal-Parlament Ewropew din il-ġimgħa tkompli tikkonferma dak li minn dejjem kien evidenti –  il-kompetenza ta’ stati membri fejn tidħol iċ-ċittadinanza mhix waħda assoluta”, saħaq Mario Mallia, Deputat Chairperson u kandidat ta’ ADPD – The Green Party.

It-trattati tal-Unjoni Ewropea jirreferu għal prinċipju ta’ lealta’ li għandom iħaddnu l-istati membri. L-Artiklu 4.3 tat-Trattat tal-Unjoni Ewropea jispjega li għandu jkun hemm koperazzjoni sinċiera u lealta’ bejn stati membri tal-Unjoni Ewropea.

Kienu ħafna ir-rapporti li qrajna fil-media fejn fost dawk li ngħataw iċ-ċittadinanza Maltija permezz ta’  l-hekk imsejjaħ ‘golden passport’ kienu jinkludu persuni  li nstabu ħatja ta’ frodi, kutrabandu, ħasil ta’ flus u evażjoni ta’ taxxa. Dan wara li Malta kienet għamlet is-suppost due diligence ‘rigoruż’ tagħha!Mhux ta’ b’xejn għalhekk li rapport li jinsab għad-diskussjoni fil-Parlament Ewropew ix-xahar id-dieħel jikkonsidra li dawn l-iskemi twaqqfu l-aktar fi Stati Membri li huma b’mod partikolari suġġetti għal riskji relatati mas-segretezza finanzjarja, bħal ngħidu aħna evażjoni  ta’ taxxa u ħasil ta’ flus, u korruzzjoni.

Dak li hu ħażin jibqa’ ħażin u minkejja t-teatrin dwar ir-regolatur li rajna min-naħa tal-PN din il-ġimgħa xejn mhu se jnaqqas mill-fatt li kif jintqal fl-istess rapport il-valuri Ewropej mhux għall-bejgħ u għalhekk iċ-ċittadinanza Ewropea m’għandiex tkun ikkunsidrata bħala prodott għall-bejgħ, temm jgħid Mario Mallia.

Iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD – The Green Party Carmel Cacopardo qal li huwa fatt li kull ma għandu x’jaqsam maċ-ċittadinanza hu riservat għall-istati membri tal-Unjoni Ewropea. Imma dan mhux b’mod assolut. Kull stat membru għandu l-obbligu, a bażi tal-prinċipju ta’ lealtà kif imfisser fit-trattati Ewropej, li ma jagħmel xejn li jista’ jaffettwa lill-bqija tal-pajjiżi msieħba fl-Unjoni. Iċ-cittadinanza Ewropea tagħtina d-dritt ta’ moviment ħieles fiż-żona Schengen, dritt li ma għandna l-ebda awtorità li ngħadduh lil min m’għandux dritt għalih!

Il-media identifikat numru ta’ każijiet fejn persuni li kisbu ċ-ċittadinanza bi ħlas kienu involuti fi kriminalità finanzjarja – u dan minkejja id-due diligence bir-reqqa li suppost saret. Imma hemm każijiet oħrajn li jnisslu tħassib dwar theddida għas-sigurtà. Dan billi permezz taċ-ċittadinanza li tkun inxtrat jingħata moviment ħieles lil persuni li huma jew jistgħu jkunu ta’riskju kbir għas-sigurtà fl-Unjoni Ewropea. Ir-rapport preżentement quddiem il-Parlament Ewropew fil-fatt jemfasizza li dan ir-riskju għas-sigurtà ftit jista’ jitkejjel minħabba n-nuqqas ta trasparenza kif ukoll minħabba li mhux qed issir eżami b’reqqa suffiċjenti tal-applikanti. Dan ma jingħadx biss b’referenza għal Malta imma jingħad ukoll b’referenza għal Ċipru u l-Bulgarija.

Minkejja li l-iskema oriġinali Maltija ġiet riveduta b’emfasi ikbar fuq residenza, din xorta waħda tista’ twassal għal kisba ta’ ċittadinanza. Sa issa il-Kummissjoni Ewropeja għad ma tat l-ebda opinjoni dwar ir-regoli riveduti ta’ din l-iskema.

Madankollu il-proposta li se tkun imressqa quddiem il-Parlament Ewropew ix-xahar id-dieħel titlob li skemi bħal dawn għandhom jitwaqqfu sa mhux iktar tard mill-2025. ADPD titlob li din l-iskema titwaqqaf minnufih mingħajr ma nistennew li dan jiġi impost fuqna.

ADPD kien l-unika partit li konsistentement dejjem saħaq li skemi bħal dawn mhux aċċettabbli mhux biss għaliex jattiraw nies assoċjati ma kriminalità finanzjarja, kif irriżulta bil-fatti, imma wkoll għax ipoġġu lil pajjiżna taħt il-lenti u jwasslu għal ħsara irreparabbli bħalma ġara fil-każ tal-lista griża tal-FATF. Ilna nsemmu leħinna dwar dan sa minn meta ħarġu l-ewwel proposti fl-2014.

Huma biss Membri Parlamentari eletti f’isem l-ADPD li jassiguraw li t-tibdiliet meħtieġa jitwettqu ħalli pajjiżna jerġa’ jikseb il-fiduċja li huwa ta’ min jista’ jafdah għal investiment u negozju, temm jgħid Cacopardo.