Alex Agius Saliba reassures European Parliament fake ID scam 'isolated cases'
Letter to EP Committee calls for 'balanced approach' in its treatment of the issue
Labour MEP Alex Agius on Thursday wrote to the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) to point out the evidence presented in the court regarding the case of fake Maltese identity cards refers to “isolated cases, not systemic abuse”.
In the letter addressed to LIBE chair Javier Zarzalejos, Agius Saliba said that the testimonry presented in court on Tuesday revealed only seven fraudulaent ID cards were found in connection with the alleged Identitá racket, rather than the thousands that was previously alleged.
Former Identità employee Maria Rita Spiteri, 32, and car dealer Bernard Attard, 33, have been charged with money laundering, forgery, fraud and bribery that took place between October 21, 2019, and March 22, 2023. Both pleaded not guilty.
During Tuesday’s court sitting, Identitá’s former Chief Head of Compliance Claudio Spiteri said only seven fake residence permits were discovered. He also told the court that Identitá had 16 files related to the case.
In August 2024, a court upheld a request by former MP and lawyer Jason Azzopardi to launch a magisterial inquiry into an alleged scam which saw Identità allegedly issuing several residence permits on the basis of forged documents. Azzopardi had claimed that some 18,000 such documents had been issued.
“This testimony further clarifies the scale of the case, reaffirming that the matter concerns specific instances rather than widespread systemic abuse, as previously suggested,” Agius Saliba wrote in his letter.
He called for “a balanced approach” in LIBE Committee’s treatment on this issue and requested an exchange of views in the Committee be scheduled after the court proceedings are concluded.
“It is of utmost importance that after all these fabricated and politically motivated allegations an exchange of views with the LIBE Committee is scheduled once the ongoing Magisterial Inquiry is concluded, “ he added.
The letter also highlights that investigations by both Identità and the Malta Police Force began in 2022, “well before media coverage brought the issue to public attention”.