The sale of Maltese passports to wealthy foreigners has brought in hundreds of millions of euros to the Maltese government, but has also caused concern over the implications on national security and corruption by Maltese civil servants. Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia exposed the abuse of the passport trade, leading to her murder in 2017. Academic Dimitry Kochenov, known as the “Passport Professor”, advises on the legal aspects of the passport trade while also serving as president of lobby group Investment Migration Council and being a board member of a Maltese company promoting awareness of the passport trade. Concerns have been raised about potential conflicts of interest. The trade has also led to individuals, like Russian Pavel Melnikov, owning Finnish islands near the country’s naval base.
1. Malta is a small island state in the European Union.
2. The Maltese government started a new trade in selling passports, which has yielded hundreds of millions of euros.
3. The sale of Maltese passports is legal, and buyers can become EU citizens.
4. Many Maltese homes are unoccupied due to the wealthy passport buyers not needing to reside in Malta.
5. Daphne Caruana Galizia, a local journalist, exposed abuse of the passport trade.
6. Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered in 2017, and her son believes high-level government officials were involved.
7. The Maltese government is accused of protecting themselves, and there are indications of corruption within civil servants.
8. Professor Dimitry Kochenov is a key figure in the passport trade, serving as an academic, advisor, and president of the Investment Migration Council.
9. Kochenov has been criticized for potential conflicts of interest and moonlighting in the industry.
10. The passport trade has implications for national security and has deeply divided Malta.