Government publishes IIP contracts without commercially sensitive information

Following a ruling by Speaker Anglu Farrugia, the government has provided Public Accounts Committee chairman Tonio Fenech with copies of the original and amended Individual Investment Programme contracts that the government had signed with Henley and Partners.

However, 14 clauses in the two contracts pertaining to the sale of citizenship have been blanked out on the basis that they are commercially sensitive. The clauses include those that fall under the ‘terms, renewal and termination’ and the ‘processing procedure and fees’ sections.

“The final goal for this non-disclosure was in Malta’s national interest so as not to disadvantage this sector by allowing competitors to view this information,” Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said during a Public Accounts Committee meeting.

Fenech said that he understood the government’s need to conceal certain clauses but requested Bonnici to explain the reasoning behind the non-disclosure of every one of those clauses.

Bonnici said that he or an Identity Malta representative will do just that during the next Public Accounts Committee meeting, which has been set for Wednesday afternoon.