Updated | 'Consensus can be struck if government addresses Opposition's stand'

In a scathing attack against the government's revamped Individual Investor Programme, Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil insisted that in order for the government and the opposition to strike a consensus on the contentious citizenship scheme, the government "must address the opposition's stand."

"The programme only underwent cosmetic changes and is still a scheme that intends on facilitating the sale of the Maltese passport. Nevertheless, the Opposition is still willing to extend its hand of cooperation and strike a consensus but only if the government addresses the opposition's stand that the Maltese citizenship is not for sale."

Originally capped at €650,000, the sale of the Maltese passports to wealthy non-European expats has seen the government and the opposition in a tug of war with the opposition vehemently insisting that it is "against the sale of the Maltese citizenship in principle", while the government arguing that the IIP scheme would ultimately be of benefit to Malta's coffers.

Following weeks of negotiations between the government and the opposition, the requirements of the contentious scheme were changed but nevertheless, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said, the two sides could not reach an agreement, citing the five-residency period as the main bone of contention. Nevertheless, the government's recent discussions with stakeholders saw the scheme's requirements changed from the previous €650,000 donation and also saw the government saying the scheme will no longer be led by the private company Henley and Partners.

However, addressing the media and members of the Civil Society Committee this evening, Busuttil said that it was not true that the government waived Henley and Partners exclusivity.

"Upon analysing the details of the IIP and Henley and Partners publishing applications for the sale of the Maltese passport, it is evident that they are the sole concessionaires of the scheme," he argued.

Moreover, he said that under the current scheme, applicants are still required to deposit the €650,000 to Henley and Partners and argued that nothing is holding the concessionaires back of running with Malta's money, a feat which would ultimately be incurred by the Maltese taxpayer.

Flanked by Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg and MEP candidate Roberta Metsola, Busuttil insisted that Henley and Partners should not be responsible of committing the assessment of applications as there could be a conflict of interest.

Meanwhile, following the government announcing that the IIP would be capped at 1,800 succesful applications, the PN leader disputed this, citing a loop hole in the programme that would allow applicants' relatives to benefit from the scheme.

"Notwithstanding the amendments, relatives of the applicant can acquire the Maltese passport.If the applicant's family and relatives are included in the application, the number would obviously be much higher than the envisaged 1,800, a far cry from the government's promise."

Busuttil reiterated that Malta's citizenship cannot be given a monetary value as it would diminish its value. Moreover, he insisted that the revamped citizenship scheme did not address the opposition's main objection that the Maltese passport cannot be sold.

"By simply amending the price of the Maltese passport and the nitty gritty details of the citizenship scheme, the government did not address the opposition's stand."

"It is useless to reduce the price and present a citizenship scheme when in reality the scheme is still committed to selling the Maltese passport."

The PN Leader also argued that the revamped citizenship scheme is still harming Malta's reputation as international media were having a field day at Malta's expense.

In a dig at the government's claims that the bad reports were "planted" by the opposition, Busuttil insisted that the government and its scheme are the sole parties responsible to Malta's name being tarnished all over the world. 

The PN Leader urged the government to stop the scheme until parliamentary discussions are finalised. He reiterated the Opposition will challenge the legal notice to repeal it.

The rest of the meeting between Simon Busuttil and members of the MCESD was conducted behind closed doors.

Commenting after the meeting, the PN Leader insisted that the members of Civil Society committee expressed worry at the "cash-for-passports scheme."

'Opposition's comments on citizenship scheme are not credible' - Government

Meanwhile, in a reaction, the government lambasted the opposition for its "defiant" stand against the Individual Investor Programme.

"The PN's comments are not credible. While the government extended its hand of cooperation to numerous stakeholders and the opposition, Simon Busuttil remained defiant in his party's stand."

"If the Opposition really wanted to strike an agreement, it could have done this during the meetings between the government and the opposition, but instead it insisted with its obstinate stance."

The Labour government also urged the opposition to veer off from its political game and insisted that it should not keep on using every tool at its disposal to shed a bad light on Malta.