The Nationalist Party has asked the government to explain how a Maltese passport was sold to a Vietnamese MP when she is a politically exposed person, and when holding a Maltese passport breaks that country's law.

In a statement, the PN noted that on Sunday, MP and businesswoman Nguyen Thi Nguyet Huong, 46, was suspended from the Vietnamese National Assembly for flouting the Law on Vietnamese Nationality, which prohibits Vietnamese citizens from having dual citizenship.

This case, the PN said, raised serious concerns about the quality of the due diligence process which is supposed to be made before Maltese passports are sold.

"In this case, the due diligence process was either not carried out, or it was ineffective because a Maltese passport was sold to someone who not only broke the law, but is also a politically exposed person," the PN said. 

It said the prime minister had remained silent, days after the case became known. It asked him to explain how this passport application was assessed, processed and approved. 

The actions of the Vietnamese parliament should also served as a lesson, the PN said. In that country, an MP who abused of power was immediately sacked while in Malta, the prime minister's chief of staff and minister Konrad Mizzi were defended by the prime minister despite setting up secret companies in Panama.