Repubblika refunds donation from golden passport applicant

Rule-of-law NGO Repubblika has refunded a €1,500 donation received unknowingly from a golden passport applicant last November after it was revealed to be among a raft of NGOs that received donations from passport buyers.

In a brief press statement on Friday, Repubblika explained that the responsible authorities identified the applicant that donated to the NGO to fulfill their passport obligations. The applicant did not mention that the donation was being made as part of the citizenship application process.

It added that it has since reimbursed the donation made by the applicant. “We cannot, […] in the process of raising funding for our work, accept to become enablers to a scheme that we consider as unfair and unlawful.”

Newspaper Illum reported last Sunday that Repubblika and several other NGOs received donations from passport buyers over the past year.

This information was tabled in Parliament by Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri, in reply to a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Graziella Galea.

Among the NGOs which received such donations are Din l-Art Ħelwa, Moviment Graffitti, Nature Trust, Birdlife Malta, Friends of the Earth, Rmjs Horse Rescue, Rotary Club, Malta Kitty Guardians for Strays, Society For The Protection And Care for Animals, Dreams of Horses, SOS Malta, Fidem Charity Foundation, St Jeanne Antide Foundation, Sunshine Animal Sanctuary Malta.

Malta offers a citizenship by investment scheme, allowing high-net-worth people to buy a Maltese passport.

Applicants must provide a proof of residence in Malta for a period of 36 months and must carry out an exceptional direct investment in Malta, while donating a minimum €10,000 to a local NGO.