Identita deny allegations they issued 18K ID cards to foreigners for bribes

The former senior manager of Malta’s Identita, Ryan Spagnol, is suing former MP Jason Azzopardi for libel over allegations that Spagnol took bribes from foreigners in exchange for residence permits and identity cards. The Times of Malta reports that Azzopardi made the accusations in a series of posts on Facebook, in which he claims the illegal identity card racket in Malta has chalked up 60 million Euros (US$64.5 million) in bribes since 2015.

Spagnol has vehemently denied the allegations and urged the courts to clear his name as soon as possible. But Azzopardi seems to be relishing the challenge as a kind of showdown at the identity OK Corral, responding to the lawsuit (again on Facebook) with a post saying “Bravo. Well done. Welcome… we will meet.” And, perhaps even more threatening: “You don’t know the information I am receiving.”

A report from Net News says the ID card racket issued up to 18,000 falsified digital ID cards to immigrants who were willing to pony up between €2,000 and €8,000. Many came from Egypt and Libya, and Azzopardi’s allegation is based on information from an Egyptian who was issued a fake ID card then denied whistleblower status when volunteering to name the people behind the racket. It is worth noting that Spagnol’s lawsuit was launched before the Net News story went public.

Identita – which rebranded from the more pedestrian Identity Malta in 2023 to distance itself from allegations of electoral fraud – says the 18,000 illegal transactions never happened. And there may be powerful interests backing their denial; Net News alleges that “in this serious racket there are even people very close to Members of Robert Abela’s Cabinet involved, with the same Cabinet knowing what is happening and knowing the names of the individuals behind this all.” It also says the police are aware of the racket and have not taken action.

For now, Identita soldiers on, having recently celebrated its tenth anniversary with the release of its 2023 annual report and the hiring of a new CEO, Steve Agius.

The final result of Azzopardi v. Spagnol, meanwhile, is yet to be determined. But with Azzopardi promising to open a “Pandora’s Box,” there is little doubt that the fight will go several more rounds, and is likely to get bloody.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  Identità  |  identity document  |  identity management  |  lawsuits  |  Malta