The scene caused by a “top PN official” shows that the Nationalist Party is doing its utmost to deter investment, the Labour Party said in a statement

The statement refers to yesterday’s incident at the Malta International Aiport, where a film crew accompanied by PN official Karol Aquilina filmed a ‘billionaire citizenship applicant.’

“Simon Busuttil opposes investment, and is against people who can contribute to our country and create employment. Simon Busuttil sent one of his officials to deter a person who was in Malta on a private visit, probably in order to invest in our country,” the statement said.

If the PN is going to try and deter every single potential investor in Malta, it will certainly have a lot of work on its hands, the statement concluded. 

Dr Karol Aquilina replies

Contacted by The Malta Independent online, Dr Aquilina said that his presence at the airport was requested by the journalists who were afraid that they would have been stopped from doing their duties.

At one point, Dr Aquilina said, because of the behaviour of an Italian person who was insisting that the police stop the journalists, “I had to warn the police officers that they had no right to stop the journalists from doing their work and not to hinder their duties.”

Dr Aquilina also referred to what Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said in Parliament on Monday – that a PN official was present at the airport – saying that the Italian person who was with a group of Chinese people “approached me and insisted to buy the footage and photos taken” by Media.link Communications journalists. The same person said this was to hide the identity of the Chinese people at the MIA.

Dr Aquilina told this Italian man that the footage and photos were not for sale, as “unfortunately Maltese citizenship is”.

He also confirmed that this Italian person was acting in an incorrect and abusive way with the journalists and at one point verbally offended them while asking the police to take action. This person also demanded that the footage and photos are erased, Dr Aquilina said.

PN replies

In reply, the PN said that the government wanted to implement the citizenship scheme in secrecy. While it is comfortable to pass on information on a former Formula 1 champion who is interested in buying Maltese citizenship, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat wanted to hide the arrival of a Chinese billionaire. What is he trying to hide, the PN asked.

The Maltese people were united behind the fact that the scheme introduced by the government is one of sale of citizenship and not one of investment. It is unfortunate that on the same day that Dr Muscat continues to promote the scheme, news emerged that a financial services company was dismissing 65 of its employees.