Updated 6.20pm

The Ministry of Home Affairs this afternoon published part of its contract with Henley and Partners to deny that the company would receive a €140,000 commission for every approved application for Maltese citizenship.

The extract was published after a request by the Nationalist Party, which had made the claim. Henley and Partners will administer the citizenship scheme.

But in a statement later, the Nationalist Party said the government should publish the statement in full for the sake of transparency and common sense.

The government said Henley and Partners would be paid a contribution of 4% of the costs of marketing and processing of applications. Should other agents be involved the amount would be split.

At no time would the payment reach  €140,000 the ministry said.

The contract says: 

"9.8 The Contribution under the Contribution Option shall be paid into the IIP Account, from which payments must be allocated by the Concessionaire, following the grant of citizenship, as follows:

(a) an amount equivalent to 6% (six percent) of the Contribution shall be paid to Identity Malta Agency;

(b) an amount equivalent to 4% (four percent) of the Contribution shall be paid to Concessionaire as the "Marketing and Processing Fees"; and

(c) the remaining amount 90% (ninety percent) in the IIP Account, after payments of the items under clauses 9.8(a) and 9.8(b) hereof, shall be paid into an independent Investment Vehicle." 

But the Nationalist Party again asked whether Henley and Partners were to be given commission besides the contribution option and if this would include payment for due diligence.

The PN asked what did the contract say about the fast track option for clients who were willing to pay an additional 50 per cent.

It said that before the contract was published in full, the people would not know whether Henley and Partners would be enforcing additional payments from those applying for citizenship, even more so in view of the fact that the government was giving this foreign company an absolute majority on the sale of Maltese passports.