The wife of former home affairs minister Manual Mallia was one of 90 people who had been granted Maltese citizenship in 2014 on the basis of Article 10(1) of the Maltese Citizenship Act, according to figures requested by this newspaper.

The Home Affairs Ministry did not, however, accede to this newspaper's request for a copy of Mrs Mallia's citizenship application, which was requested so as to ensure that the application had been made under Article 10(1) of the Maltese Citizenship Act, and not on the strength of her two-year marriage to the minister at the time.

The article under which Dr Mallia's Romanian-born wife had been granted citizenship, that apparently coincided with his short-lived tenure, allows the Minister to grant Maltese citizenship to anyone as long as that person has been resident in Malta in the five years preceding the application, has an adequate knowledge of the Maltese or English language, is of good character and considered suitable to be a citizen of Malta.

With the exception of 2012, 2014 saw the highest number of such citizenships being granted since at least 2008.

In 2014, four such applications had been refused, one of which was lodged by an EU national.

Between March and December 2013, also under the current government, 24 citizenships had been granted under the same article and none had been turned down.

This newspaper had recently reported that the Home Affairs Ministry had failed to specify exactly how the foreign wife of former Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia had been granted Maltese citizenship when he had served as the minister responsible for citizenship.

After the Opposition took the government to task in the wake of the story, Dr Mallia rebutted the story and stated that his wife had not applied for Maltese citizenship on the strength of her marriage to a Maltese national but, rather, under Article 10(1) of the Maltese Citizenship Act.

In his statement, Dr Mallia said: "The Minister responsible for citizenship matters has the discretion to grant or refuse such applications."

He also said: "I did not examine her request and it was not approved by me. Indeed, the Certificate of Citizenship was not signed by me but independently, without my intervention."

Dr Mallia also pointed out: "Applications for citizenship under such a provision are mainly considered under policy guidelines. In this respect, during the previous legislature it was the established policy that requests by people who have been residing in Malta for a period of 10 years and who have children who are citizens of Malta, even if such people are not married, would be considered favourably - obviously if such people are of good conduct and there are no issues that go against the public interest. Such a policy was retained by the current government. Several foreigners have been granted citizenship on the basis of this criterion, both in the previous legislature and under the current government.

"My wife had been residing in Malta for the said 10-year period prior to her application and she has three children who are citizens of Malta, in addition to the fact that she is married to a citizen of Malta."

BOX

Year                        Art. 10(1) citizenships               Refusals

                                 (EU nationals)                            (EU nationals)  

2008                        21 (3)                                 11 (3)                           

2009                        23 (3)                                 13                       

2010                        44 (6)     5                          

2011                        27 (4)               5 (1)                    

2012                        111 (20) 11 (4)                           

2013 (Jan-Mar)      33 (5)                                 4 (1)

2013 (Mar-Sept)    24 (11)                              0

2014                        90 (*)                                4 (1)

* Not specified