The Parliamentary Secretary for citizenship, Alex Muscat, refused to say whether Malta will stop selling passports to wealthy Russians, arguing that “not all Russians are bad.”
There have been several calls for Malta to stop selling passports to Russians, in view of the international sanctions imposed against Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine. Some have argued that by obtaining a Maltese/EU passport, Russian individuals could circumvent the sanctions.
“We need to be very careful about this. Some of the things the Opposition are out of place. As a country we have already taken the necessary measures on an EU-level, and we have now closed our airspace to Russian flights,” Muscat told journalists.
“We have sizeable Russian and Ukrainian communities in Malta. They have been living and working here for many years.”
Pressed on the matter, Muscat said Malta’s position is “clear.”
“The concept of golden passports as often mentioned does not even apply to Malta. What we have is a residency scheme that even the Opposition agrees with. The due diligence we have is next to none. We even train other countries on due diligence. Let’s not make blankets statements that all Russians are bad. I have spoken to several Russians in Malta who do not approve of what their government is doing.”
Asked for a yes or no answer, he said the scheme remains in place. “We have backed all sanctions called for by the EU. We are closely following what is happening in Ukraine and we will follow all sanctions.”
He insisted that Malta’s scheme “goes beyond” what is happening in Ukraine. There is a discussion that could lead to a situation where the entire marked is regulated at an EU-level, he added, with reference to the legal proceedings instituted against Malta by the EU.
When asked whether any Russian individuals targeted by international sanctions are on the Maltese list of citizenship, Muscat said the information is public and journalists could look through the list. He also insisted that due diligence on successful applicants is ongoing.