The government yesterday accused the Opposition of attempting to cripple the “billion euro” citizenship scheme, confirming for the first time that the programme’s projected earnings fall in the nine-figure bracket.

Replying to questions by Times of Malta, a government spokesman said Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil was trying to make sure the “€1 billion” programme failed.

Previously, much more conservative figures had been cited. In fact, the first year’s earnings in this legislature were originally projected at about €30 million.

The spokesman also reacted to comments by Dr Busuttil that the Opposition had not ruled out the possibility of a future Nationalist government withdrawing applicants’ passports

“Simon Busuttil’s aim is to keep damaging the country for cheap political points,” he said.

Last Saturday, Dr Busuttil said he would explore every avenue to halt the scheme, including calling for an abrogative referendum.

The government spokesman did not confirm whether such a possibility was being ruled out, saying only that Dr Busuttil had isolated himself on the issue.

Simon Busuttil’s aim is to keep damaging the country for cheap political points

Asked why the government had not consulted five of the seven constituted bodies represented on the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, the spokesman said it had spoken to a representative.

“The government brought in the chairman of the financial watchdog who enjoys trust across the board. It sat down with the Opposition to find a compromise and spoke to the stakeholders involved in the financial services,” he said.

The government had said it would be consulting all stakeholders but then came under fire when it turned out it had only met with two of the bodies on the MCESD.

When contacted by this newspaper, most of the social partners – the Malta Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises – GRTU, the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, the Malta Employers’ Association and the Forum grouping of trade unions – all said they had not been consulted on the matter.

The government spokesman skirted the issue and said the Opposition’s “mis-calculation” was characterised by its stand on residency. “Dr Busuttil is showing he is desperate and doesn’t have a leg to stand on,” he said.

Dr Busuttil had urged the government to tie citizenship to a five-year commitment to the island, a time frame established for those who married Maltese nationals.

The government spokesman, however, said the scheme would have the same residency concept attached to the Global Residency Programme, adding that the Opposition had welcomed the system a few months ago.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.