All the residence permits issued on the back of incorrect information allegedly furnished by accountant Joe Sammut would be revoked, Identity Malta head Joe Vella Bonnici told the Times of Malta.

“All permits obtained through false documentation or misinformation will be withdrawn. Action will then be taken in line with the outcome of police investigations and court decisions,” he said.

Reacting to criticism that the government agency, responsible for issuing the permits, had remained “eerily silent” on the alleged residency fraud scam, Mr Vella Bonnici said it was Identity Malta, together with other local authorities, that had asked the police to investigate the matter in the first place. The scam was thrust into the national spotlight after Mr Sammut, a former Labour Party treasurer, was arraigned last week and charged with fraud, misappropriation, non-observance of due diligence and forgery.

It is being alleged that about 800 Libyan nationals set up companies in Malta with fake stock of about €100,000 each – the amount needed to be eligible for a residence permit.

Mr Vella Bonnici told the Times of Malta the agency was sifting through its databases to highlight any new cases. He would not say, however, how many fraudulent permits had been discovered so far and would not confirm the 800 figure.

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