Joseph Vella Bonnici

The government has defended the head of Identity Malta, saying there was no reason to investigate him, as the police continue to probe allegations that thousands of visas and residence permits were issued fraudulently.

Last week, employees at Identity Malta, which is responsible for issuing passports, ID cards and work and residence permits, were arrested in a wide-ranging investigation over the alleged racket.

This newspaper asked the government whether the agency’s executive chairman, Joe Vella Bonnici, had been asked for an explanation about what had taken place under his watch and whether he was under investigation.

The Home Affairs Minister said it was allowing the police and the security services to serenely conduct their investigation but there was no reason to probe the chairman himself. “The ongoing investigations were started by the agency itself,” a spokesperson said, adding that Mr Vella Bonnici was instrumental in this.

Attempts made to speak to Mr Vella Bonnici were unsuccessful, as he didn’t return calls. The police have not issued any statements about the investigation and arrests, which only came to light in a government statement last week.

Both the police and Identity Malta fall within the portfolio of the Home Affairs Ministry.

The Times of Malta is in-formed that so far three low-level employees have been questioned by the police.

So far no arraignments have been made.

However, police sources said the investigation was still underway and it was not excluded that more Identity Malta officers, including in the higher echelons, would be called in for questioning.

‘We’re serious about fighting abuse’

The ministry spokesman said the investigation was proof of the “seriousness of this administration in fighting abuses”, adding the government was awaiting its conclusions.

The ministry also denied allegations made in other sections of the media, and repeated by PN deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami last week, that Mr Vella Bonnici has employed three of his siblings with Identity Malta.

None of Mr Vella Bonnici’s siblings have been employed at Identity Malta

“None of Mr Vella Bonnici’s siblings have been employed by Identity Malta,” the spokesman said. The investigation into the alleged racket at Identity Malta came to light following the arraignment of accountant and former Labour treasurer Joe Sammut, charged with registering hundreds of false trading companies in order to obtain residency permits for Libyan nationals.

The government claims similar things have been going on for at least the last five years. Statistics show that since Labour came to power, the number of residence permits issued more than doubled, reaching a record 14,000 in 2014.

Those issued to Libyan citizens rose by 444 per cent in 2014 over 2012, while the number of Russian nationals who obtained residence permits more than doubled in that time.

The Identity Malta office was set up in late 2013 by former home affairs minister Manuel Mallia.

Mr Vella Bonnici, a former Labour party candidate, was appointed as its first executive chairman.

ivan.camilleri@timesofmalta.com