Citizenship sponsor’s name to remain under wraps

The Information and Data Protection Commissioner has upheld a refusal by a public authority to reveal who the sponsor was for the naturalisation of the wife of former Labour minister Manuel Mallia.

Elena Codruta was granted Maltese citizenship within a period of less than nine months after applying for naturalisation in March 2014, having resided in Malta for at least seven years preceding the application. Her husband was dismissed as minister in December 2014.

The information was given to MaltaToday after Identity Malta provided a redacted version of the application by Elena Codruta Cristian under a Freedom of Information request.

But in a subsequent complaint, the IDPC said that MaltaToday’s request to know who the sponsor was for Codruta Mallia’s application, pertained to third parties:

“The Commissioner strongly believes that the interest of the public to know this information does not arise, since it does not seem to influence the eligibility criteria used to reach a decision in the process of granting Maltese citizenship or otherwise.” 

At law, a sponsor for a person seeking naturalisation must be an MP, a member of the judiciary, a legal or medical professional, a high-ranking police or army officer, or a parish priest certifying that the applicant is of good character.

The only new information arising from the IDPC’s decision is that it was the Prime Minister who signed the official certificate of citizenship, as acting minister for home affairs.

The date of naturalisation is not yet known, although MaltaToday has been granted the opportunity to physically inspect the certificate of citizenship, and a 2011 memorandum showing the criteria applied for the granting of citizenship.

The IDPC said it was not in favour of disclosing information contained in the applications for naturalisation due to the confidential nature the process entails.

Mallia’s Romanian-born wife – the couple were married on 21 July, 2012 – applied in March 2014 under Article 10 of the Maltese Citizenship Act, to request citizenship on the ground of having resided in Malta for at least seven years preceding the application.

As minister responsible for citizenship affairs, Mallia denied having examined the request of his wife for citizenship during the time he was minister responsible for citizenship. He was dismissed from office on 9 December, 2014 and was instantly replaced with Carmelo Abela. 

While the PN accused him of having fast-tracked his wife’s application for citizenship, Mallia said that his wife’s certificate of citizenship “was not signed by me but independently without my intervention.”

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

Although an EU citizen, it would seem Codruta Cristian was still liable for national health fees.

She applied for naturalization under article 10(1) of the Citizenship Act, and not on the strength of her marriage to Manuel Mallia. That means that a 2011 internal memorandum applies, specifically providing for the residence criteria to be followed.