PN files judicial protest over 'faceless' IIP citizens

The Nationalist Party has filed a judicial protest against Identity Malta, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici and the Electoral Commission to force Identity Malta to disclose the names of IIP applicants who have been granted Maltese citizenship and, as a result, who will be able to vote in the 2018 general elections.

According to the Nationalist Party, in a small country such as Malta, elections can easily be swayed and results changed in favour of a political party.

Addressing a press conference outside Evans Building in Valletta, PN deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami, shadow minister Jason Azzopardi and Karol Aquilina, president of the party’s administrative council, argued that it was unprecedented that names of new citizens are not published.

Whilst names of all persons who are granted Maltese citizenship are published in the Government Gazette, the list doesn’t differentiate between those who have paid for their Maltese passport and other naturalised citizens.

Fenech Adami noted that the Electoral Commission recently filed a judicial letter demanding that Identity Malta inform it of any new Maltese citizens who are given a vote.

“Identity Malta’s refusal to disclose information to the Electoral Commission is unconstitutional and in breach of electoral law, which obliges Identity Malta to give monthly updates to the commission on new citizens,” Fenech Adami said.

“For some very strange reason, Identity Malta is refusing to release this information. We have reached an absurd state where Identity Malta hides the identity of these faceless citizens, and who will soon be voting in the general elections along with the rest of the Maltese citizens.”

Shadow justice minister Jason Azzopardi took justice minister Owen Bonnici to task for his pledge to act as mediator to reconcile the differences between Identity Malta and the Electoral Commission.

“His role as justice minister should not be to act as a mediator, but to take action whenever the law is breached,” he said. “It beggars belief that a justice minister is giving his blessing to such a blatant breach of the Constitution, against his own oath of office.”