After removing the secrecy clause from the controversial cash-for-citizenship scheme, the Government may in due course make further changes, according to Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech.
A decision to remove the highly-contentious clause that would have kept the names of those who bought citizenship under wraps was taken on Friday evening after mounting pressure from the Opposition and the public.
It came three days after Parliament approved the law and on the same day the President signed it into force.
“One cannot rule out anything a priori, especially if, once the programme is up and running, experience shows us there is need for change,” Mr Grech said when contacted yesterday.
The Government had voted down a proposal by the Opposition to remove the secrecy clause during the parliamentary debate.
The Opposition is opposed to the Government’s scheme, saying the granting of citizenship to foreigners should be tied to a minimum residency period and linked to investment rather than a one-off payment.
Explaining the decision to rescind on the secrecy clause, Mr Grech said it was the Government’s priority “to address people’s concerns and act on them”.
He said the decision to remove the secrecy clause was taken even though it would have a negative financial impact.
Mr Grech said it was Henley and Partners, the Government consultants, that recommended the clause be included to attract more people to the scheme.
Mr Grech acknowledged the clause was the “biggest issue of concern” for many people and the Government reacted to this.
The Government’s decision was communicated on Friday evening by Mr Grech barely seven hours after parliamentary secretary Edward Zammit Lewis had ruled out immediate changes.
At noon Dr Zammit Lewis said the Government was open to consultation and would fine-tune the scheme as necessary. However, when asked specifically whether this meant immediate changes to the law, he said no.
The apparent change of heart raised eyebrows, but a spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday attempted to play down its significance.
He said discussions were still under way when Dr Zammit Lewis was asked about possible changes to the law.
“Dr Zammit Lewis was involved in the discussions and was aware of what was happening but there was no final decision, so he could not commit himself to a date or time,” the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, during the TV show Xarabank on Friday a representative of Henley and Partners confirmed that the original advice given to the Government was to make investment in the country a condition of the scheme.
This contradicted what Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia had told Times of Malta last month. He said no such advice had been received.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com