The monitoring committee set up to oversee the implementation of the government’s cash-for-citizenship programme has only met once, Times of Malta is informed.

Although the government last week announced it had approved the first 13 foreigners to become Maltese citizens through the Individual Investor Programme, the monitoring committee, presided over by the Prime Minister, only met in October and has not discussed the applications of the first new citizens, this newspaper has been told.

Asked to give details about these new Maltese citizens, their original nationality and other relevant details, the Office of the Prime Minister declined to provide any information.

A spokesman for the government said that the names would be published through The Malta Government Gazette together with those of other citizens acquiring Maltese citizenship through naturalisation or registration.

Efforts to try to acquire this information through the Opposition – since its leader, Simon Busuttil, also sits on the monitoring committee – also proved futile.

A spokesman for the leader of the Opposition said that, despite several promises by the Prime Minister in November 2013, “the Opposition is not made aware of any names of people granted a Maltese passport through the IIP scheme. The monitoring committee has only met once – last October – and, to date, no further communication with the Opposition was made,” he said.

According to the IIP law, the monitoring committee is to be chaired and convened by the Prime Minister and, apart from the leader of the Opposition, also includes the Home Affairs Minister.

The PN spokesman said the government is the only entity privy to information on new Maltese citizens, even though it is in the interest of all Maltese people to know who their fellow citizens are.

Asked whether the government intended to call another meeting of the monitoring committee, the Prime Minister’s spokesman did not reply.

According to the controversial IIP, introduced last year, applicants have to adhere to a number of requirements before qualifying for Maltese citizenship.

Apart from paying €650,000 per application, eligible future Maltese citizens will have to buy a €350,000 property or lease for five years, to the tune of €16,000 each year. Applicants are also expected to prove they have lived in Malta for at least 12 months prior to acquiring Maltese citizenship.

According to information given in Parliament, the overwhelming majority of IIP applicants are from Russia and the former Soviet Republics.