The House of Representatives this morning approved amendments to the Citizenship Act from Committee stage, with the Opposition voting against.

The amendments provide for the setting up of an Individual Investor Programme for the granting of citizenship to foreign individuals and families who contribute to the economic development of Malta.

Eligible persons will be required to pay €650,000, and €25,000 for spouses and children.

A number of amendments moved by Opposition MPs were defeated.

These included binding the granting of citizenship to investment rather than just a donation of money, for the inclusion of other authorised investment institutions to also be able to promote and sell the scheme, for applicants to have been living in Malta for a minimum five-years and invest €5 million  and for the publication of names of those attaining citizenship.

GOVERNMENT CRITICISES OPPOSITION'S ATTITUDE

In a statement, the Government said the Opposition confirmed the destructive and negative tendency it was taking under leader Simon Busuttil when it voted against the surveillance and monitoring of the programme.

It voted against the programme having a regulator, a post for which the Government was recommending former head of the Civil Service Godwin Grima as well as the setting up of a monitoring board made up of the Prime Minister, the Home Affairs Minister and the leader of the Opposition.

Such an attitude confirmed the state of panic the Opposition was in and that it did not want this programme, which would be of benefit to the country, to be successful.

The Government said it was convinced that the programme would make Malta stronger and more just.