Embezzlement claims made against an ex-Saudi spy chief turned Maltese citizen are being “monitored and investigated”, the government has said.
A spokesman for the citizenship secretariat said the Community Malta Agency, which deals with citizenship, can only act if there is concrete evidence to present to the citizenship deprivation board.
Saad al-Jabri hit the headlines last year after filing a lawsuit accusing Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman of sending a hit squad to kill him in Canada.
Al-Jabri appeared on the most recently published list of new Maltese citizens after buying a passport through the controversial scheme. Since making his claim about a state-sponsored hit, al-Jabri has faced accusations by 10 state-run Saudi companies that he helped embezzle more than a billion dollars.
The claims led a Canadian court to order a worldwide asset freeze against al-Jabri and demanded that he disclose all his assets. He has denied the claims.
These latest accusations against a Maltese passport buyer come at a critical time for the citizenship scheme.
The European Commission formally opened what are known as infringement procedures against Malta over the scheme in October.
Brussels is arguing that granting EU citizenship in exchange for a pre-determined payment or investment and without a genuine link to the country violates EU treaties.
The Commission has argued that such schemes have implications for the union as a whole, because the passport buyer automatically becomes an EU citizen and enjoys all the rights linked to this status.
“As a consequence, the effects of investor citizenship schemes are neither limited to the member states operating them, nor are they neutral with regard to other member states and the EU as a whole,” the Commission said.
The government has in turn warned it is prepared to go so far as the European Court of Justice to defend the scheme, stating the Commission has no right to force Malta to ditch it.
A revamp of the scheme was announced last summer, with more emphasis being placed on the residency requirements for prospective passport buyers.
According to parliamentary secretary for citizenship Alex Muscat, under the new scheme, applicants who invest €750,000 – up from €650,000 under the existing rules – will be able to apply for citizenship after living here for one year.
Applicants who invest €600,000 will have to spend three years in Malta before applying for a passport.