First sentence handed down in Malta identity card scandal

Malta’s illegal identity card racket, linked to government agency Identità, has received its first court sentencing. Meanwhile, a civil rights group says that the corruption scandal – which allegedly involves 18,000 fake ID cards issued to foreigners in return for bribes – is putting the European island nation’s national security at “enormous” risk.

Last week, a suspended sentence was handed to Anthony Attard for charges including document fraud and assisting third-country nationals to enter Malta in breach of immigration laws. Attard, who received two years in prison suspended for four years, played a secondary role in the fraud by attaching new letterboxes to residences. The scheme allowed foreign nationals to give a false address and receive correspondence from Identità, the agency responsible for identity documents and residency permits, according to Malta Today.

Several other suspects have been arrested in connection with the scandal which was first uncovered in July by former Maltese Member of Parliament Jason Azzopardi. According to the lawyer, the ID card racket has chalked up 60 million Euros (US$64.5 million) in bribes since 2015.

Identità, which rebranded last year after allegations of electoral fraud, has been denying responsibility. Earlier this month, however, the magistrate upheld an application from Azzopardi for an inquiry into the fraud scheme.

“This involves the biggest ever corruption scandal in this country by a government agency or department,” says Azzopardi, who claims that authorities, including the Maltese Police Commissioner Angeo Gafa, knew about the scheme since at least October 2022.

Identità responded that it was conducting an internal investigation and had reported certain individuals to the police. Identità’s former senior manager Ryan Spagnol is also suing Azzopardi for libel over accusations that he took bribes.

A national security issue

The magistrate inquiry lists allegations such as corruption and money laundering in granting Maltese ID cards to foreigners based on forged documents, including marriage certificates, certificates from UK local councils and the Malta Business Registry.

According to media reports, immigrants paid between 2,000 and 8,000 euros for falsified ID cards. Many of them hailed from Egypt and Lybia.

“This is shocking because these allegations reveal an enormous risk to national security and a risk to families living in houses whose addresses have been stolen,” non-profit civil rights organization Repubblika says in a statement dated August 14th.

The group has also called for an administrative inquiry to evaluate dangers to national security and the viability of public records. The Maltese state has “lost the ability to administer even the most basic thing: the official certification of the identity of people living in Malta,” it said.

“When one sees a Maltese identity card, one now has to doubt whether the information on it can be believed,” the organization says.

The opposition Nationalist Party (PN) also joined calls for Identità to publish its internal probe and requested the Auditor General to investigate how ID cards are issued in Malta. The government should also provide a platform for property owners to view people registered as living on their property, they said.

The Home Affairs Ministry responded, however, that publishing the internal investigation would put the ongoing police inquiry at risk.

The Maltese Chamber of Commerce also castigated the government, saying that the Identità scandal is a symptom of a broader governance crisis.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  government services  |  Identità  |  identity document  |  identity management  |  Malta