Mallia denies examining wife’s citizenship, PN says fast-track naturalisation ‘breach of law’

 Former home affairs minister Manuel Mallia has denied examining the request of his Romanian wife Elena Codruta Cristian for Maltese citizenship, in the period that he was the minister responsible for citizenship.

The Labour MP, who was dismissed as minister after his driver used his service weapon to fire at a motorist involved in a hit-and-run on the ministerial car, said there was “nothing improper” about the way his wife became a Maltese citizen.

Elena Codruta Mallia is believed to have obtained her Maltese nationality some time between her marriage to Mallia in 2012, and 2014.

“I did not examine her request and it was not approved by me. Indeed the certificate of citizenship was not signed by me but independently without my intervention. There was, therefore, nothing improper in the acquisition of citizenship by my wife,” Mallia said.

The allegations about his wife’s naturalisation came about after MaltaToday first reported that the chief medical officer had obtained a garnishee order against his wife, then an unmarried Romanian national living in Malta, for €3,657.11 in outstanding bills for health services from Mater Dei Hospital claimed between 16 December 2008 and 21 December 2008.

The couple married later in 2012, with Cristian taking on her married surname. But a change in her identity card number, as claimed by Malta Independent columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia, meant that Mallia’s wife had obtained citizenship some time between her marriage and 2014.

In a statement issued Monday evening, Mallia said his applied for citizenship by naturalization under article 10(1) of the Citizenship Act and not on the strength of her marriage to him.

Foreigners can submit an application under this article if they had been residing in Malta for five years prior to the date of application.

“My wife satisfied this condition,” he said, saying his wife had already resided for 10 years prior to her application and that she had three children, Maltese citizens, at the time.

But controversy centres around whether Mallia used his discretion as minister responsible for citizenship to grant or refuse such applications, which in general tend to take as much 15 years to process in order to test the permanence of applicants seeking naturalisation.

“The minister responsible for citizenship matters has the discretion to grant or refuse such applications,” Mallia said.

“Applications for citizenship under such a provision are mainly considered under policy guidelines. In this respect during the previous legislature it was the established policy that requests, by persons who have been residing in Malta for a period of ten years and who have children, who are citizens of Malta, even if such persons are not married, would be considered favourably – obviously if such persons are of good conduct and there are no issues that go against the public interest. Such a policy was retained by the current government. Several foreigners have been granted citizenship on the basis of this criteria both in the previous legislature and under the current government.”

PN accusations

PN deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami termed said Mallia’s ministerial decision to grant his wife citizenship after a mere two years of marriage was a breach of the law and an abuse of power.

Addressing journalists at a press conference earlier today Fenech Adami said the former minister had granted his wife citizenship prior to the five-year threshold stipulated by the law.

“There are rigorous rules in place in the granting of citizenships and Mallia’s decision is a case of abuse of power,” Fenech Adami said.

Fenech Adami said that the former minister had to shoulder responsibility for the serious allegations, and criticised the current Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela for being “part of a cover-up” on the former minister’s abuses.

“Abela has decided to cover up the former minister’s abuses and he misled the media by stating that Mallia’s wife had been granted citizenship given her already existing EU citizenship,” Fenech Adami said.

Mallia married his Romanian-born wife Elena Codruta Cristian in July 2012. However, she was granted citizenship two years later when the Maltese Citizenship Act points out that citizenship to foreign spouses of Maltese citizens should only be granted after five years of marriage, whether or not the spouse in question is an EU national.

Shadow justice minister Jason Azzopardi stressed that the case was a serious breach of law given that the only exceptions for fast-tracking citizenship processes were given in cases of “exceptional services to the republic of Malta or to humanity.”

Azzopardi said the law should be equal to all and that political responsibility needed to be shouldered in this case.

Fenech Adami added that the way the ministry had handled this issue was highly contrasting with the Labour Party’s cry for equality and transparency ahead of the 2012 general elections.

“Prime Minister Joseph Muscat needs to address this situation himself as well, especially following the almost confirmed rumours that Mallia was to be given another position some time soon,” Fenech Adami said.

Fenech Adami further referred to a similar but less serious case in Tony Blair’s government in the United Kingdom. The former home secretary David Blunkett had fast-tracked the granting of a visa for his partner's nanny.

“Blunkett, had resigned when the story emerged,” Fenech Adami said adding that the Prime Minister has also often expressed his admiration towards the model of Tony Blair’s government.