Watch: PM defends golden passport scheme as EU Court decision looms

Robert Abela has defended Malta’s golden passport scheme following a Financial Times report claiming sanctioned Russians found loopholes to bypass travel bans by purchasing Maltese citizenship.

He also appeared to be laying the ground to blame Nationalist politicians should the European Court on Tuesday order Malta to shut down the scheme, saying they had caused 'great harm' and it was organisations such as Puttinu Cares, which benefited from the scheme's funds, that could suffer. 

The prime minister was questioned outside Parliament on Monday about the FT report, published on Sunday, which said Russians hit with EU sanctions over the Ukraine invasion were able to partially circumvent travel restrictions thanks to the scheme.

He insisted that the programme had a "robust" system of due diligence.

"In fact, if you look at the applications we received, you would notice that a high majority did not pass the test and were rejected."

He also pointed out that a legal procedure exists to revoke passports already issued, should the need arise.

He did not confirm whether any individuals mentioned by the Financial Times had their citizenship removed.

According to the Financial Times, seven people acquired Maltese citizenship and were later placed under US, EU or Ukrainian sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine. Among them was businessman Albert Avdolyan, who obtained a Maltese passport in 2015. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Abela went on to defend the scheme’s contribution to Maltese society, saying it "did a lot of good" for organisations like Puttinu Cares and the Richmond Foundation, which benefited financially through funds generated by the scheme.

"Puttinu Cares, amongst others, received a donation of €5 million to develop the building (in London) we visited just a few days ago, which will house patients going through incredibly challenging moments, including receiving cancer treatment," he said.

Hospice Malta also received millions in funds to develop its new palliative care centre, again thanks to money from the passport programme.

In 2022, Malta stopped Russians and Belarusians from applying for citizenship under the programme. Shortly after, the European Commission urged member states to explore ways of revoking EU citizenship granted to sanctioned individuals via such schemes.

Malta resisted calls to shut down its programme and remains the last EU country offering citizenship for sale. It was taken to court by the European Commission in a bid to force a halt to the programme. A ruling is expected on Tuesday.

Abela said he was awaiting the court's decision, adding that some PN politicians had inflicted "enormous damage."

The ultimate victims would not be the government, but the organisations benefitting from funds raised by the scheme, he said.

He also noted that the EU’s Advocate General had backed Malta’s scheme in his report, and that if the court’s decision did not align with the Advocate General’s position, "we will explore what alternatives and modifications there are for the same programme."