Opposition leader Simon Busuttil today insisted that further changes be made to the government’s citizenship scheme, with more emphasis being but on “effective residency” and less reference being made to the concessionaire Henley & Partners.

In a letter sent to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Dr Busuttil said that the legal notice governing the citizenship scheme needs to make it clear that citizenship will not be granted to those failing to spend at least 12 months in Malta.

If the changes are not implemented, the Opposition reserves the right to present a motion in Parliament to revoke the latest iteration of the legal notice as published by the government, Dr Busuttil warned. 

The current legal notice is the third iteration of the scheme, which has been subjected to a raft of changes since it was first proposed last year.

The scheme offers citizenship to those who pay a one off cash sum of €650,000, as well as investing in property and government bonds. 

In reply, the government said the opposition is going against the approval given by the European Commission. The long time the PN took to reply to the legal notice 47 clearly shows that the oppositions has no ground on which to base its argument.

The government is ready to continue to listen but it is evident the opposition wants to hinder the citizenship process and becoming more and more isolated. 

Malta must move on and not lose opportunities, the government said. The opposition is wasting time, and this is not in good faith but to create obstacles to the scheme.