One of the main beneficiaries of donations made through the controversial golden passports scheme was the charitable arm of a law firm whose managing director was a licenced agent for the scheme, according to figures published by the scheme’s regulator.
Other beneficiaries include public cultural bodies, local councils, football clubs and charitable organisations.
Just over €6.5 million have been donated through the scheme since its inception, from almost 1,100 donations.
Figures published by the scheme’s regulator show that a total of almost €5.9m was collected in just over 1,000 donations through the IIP scheme between 2014 and the end of 2021. The regulator has not yet published its annual report for 2022, despite previously pledging to do so earlier this year.
Meanwhile, data obtained by Times of Malta shows that a further €660,000 were donated through the scheme’s more recent iteration, in which it became mandatory for applicants to donate €10,000 to local voluntary or philanthropic organisations.
44 donations
The Claris Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Chetcuti Cauchi Advocates, received a total of €375,000 through 44 separate donations between 2014 and the end of 2021.
Of the 147 organisations that benefited from the scheme during this period, only three received more donations than the Claris Foundation. These were the Community Chest Fund, Puttinu Cares and Heritage Malta.
Replying to questions from Times of Malta, Jean-Philippe Chetcuti, the firm’s managing partner, confirmed that the Claris Foundation would receive donations from persons applying for citizenship, with the foundation presented to clients as one among several organisations eligible for a donation.
“The firm and its affiliate entities have consistently asked potential donors to indicate their philanthropic preferences and consequently presented with several charities that match their preferences. Invariably, they would donate to more than one charity, sometimes donating also to Claris Foundation.”
According to the law firm’s website, Chetcuti was first licenced as an IIP agent in 2014, operating in the scheme’s original setup.
New guidelines for the passport scheme’s current iteration state that “for increased transparency, agents should refrain from suggesting to their clients voluntary organisations in which the agent’s shareholders or directors are involved”. These guidelines were not in place in the scheme’s original setup, in which donations to voluntary organisations were optional.
The Claris Foundation was set up in 2008, before the golden passport scheme was established, and is no longer operational, having closed its doors in November 2022.
According to Chetcuti, the Claris Foundation functioned as “an aggregator for other registered voluntary organisations”, raising funds through donations and fundraising activities which would then be used to support the charitable work carried out by other organisations, particularly in support of children and refugees.
Chetcuti was keen to clarify that “all funds raised were donated in their entirety, without any deductions whatsoever for administrative or other costs”, insisting that “the accounts of the foundation underwent a full annual financial audit”.
There is relatively scant information in the public domain about projects supported by the Claris Foundation, with the exception of a playground at a children’s home, a donation of oxygen tanks for residents in Peru and a donation of Christmas gifts to children at a home run by Ursuline sisters.
Government bodies, football clubs
Several government bodies benefited from donations through the scheme, most notably Heritage Malta, which received a handsome sum of almost €425,000.
Other cultural organisations received smaller sums, including the Malta Contemporary Art Space (€21,000), Teatru Manoel (€15,000), Arts Council Malta (€12,000), the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (€5,000) and the Malta Film Commission (€2,500).
Local councils also feature as beneficiaries, with the Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Qormi councils all receiving donations.
Football clubs were also richly rewarded, receiving a total of €183,000 across 23 donations. The lion’s share went to Victoria Hotspurs Football Club, which received several donations totalling to €85,500 and Swieqi United Football Club, which received a single donation for a hefty €50,000.
One unusual beneficiary was the University’s Department of Mathematics, which was given the princely sum of €108,000.