Updated | 'Gonzi received requests to issue passports to foreign secret service agents'

Manuel Mallia was not fit for the job as home affairs minister, the Opposition's spokesperson for home affairs said in parliament.

"He is not fit for the responsibility he should be shouldering. Home Affairs policy has now become a vastly subsidised ego trip. The ministry has been poorly administrated where arrogance reigns and the bad has become good," Jason Azzopardi said.

"The minister believes he is the law, and not the servant of the law. He rendered the budget for the home affairs irrelevant."

The scathing description of Mallia came as Azzopardi was addressing the committee approving the home affairs budgetary vote. Among other ministry officials and representatives of the Armed Forces of Malta, Police Commissioner Peter Paul Zammit is present in parliament.

The Nationalist MP said a clear example of "bad judgement" was the ministry's decision to use police officers as waiters during a social function.

"Malta laughed and the Police Corps became the butt of all jokes when officers were asked to serve as waiters," Azzopardi said.

He said there was nothing in the budget speech which focused on insurance policy and on increased fines for those found guilty of attacking an officer; no mention of new recruits for the Armed Forces of Malta and nothing on the formation of a police union.

Azzopardi accused the minister of adopting "two weights two measures" after he [Azzopardi] had requested information in parliament on the discovery of 60 pills on an inmate at the Corradino Correctional Facility.

The MP had asked the minister to confirm whether there had also been three inmates who had tested positive to drug tests and that an inmate had attempted suicide.

"The minister's reply had been that the Opposition had tarnished the police's investigation. Incredible. But when l-orizzont reported that inmates had been found in possession of substances, the ministry didn't accuse the newspaper of ruining the police's investigation. Two weights, two measures," Azzopardi said.

He said, that the government had politicized the Armed Forces of Malta with the speedy promotion of Labourites as Lieutenant Colonels and the placement of ministry officials on a board promoting AFM members. [CLICK HERE for more on this]

According to Azzopardi there were 18 AFM members who have initiated lamentation procedures over the promotions. "I don't care about their political allegiances, but these officers in actual fact support the Labour Party. And today they feel hurt," he said.

Azzopardi said that instead of fighting organised criminality, the police were now being sent investigating whether individuals have been taking pictures at the airport. Azzopadi was referring to the Norman Vella case, who was arrested and questioned on allegations that he had photographed two government officials as they passed through passport control.

"This government has no red lines. Its arrogance knows no boundaries," he said.

Citizenship scheme

Turning his attention to the Individual Investor Programme, Azzopardi said that over the past years, during Lawrence Gonzi's tenure as Malta's prime minister, requests had been made by "a country" for government to grant secret services agents a Maltese passport.

"The Maltese government had on numerous occasions been approached by foreign governments requesting Malta to issue Maltese passports to their secret services agents. I won't name the countries. But there are agents who cannot enter other countries because of their citizenship," he said.

Azzopardi said Gonzi's government had always, and without exceptions, refused to grant Maltese passports.

"Lawrence Gonzi had always refused to accept such requests, irrespective of how plausible the request would have been," he said.

"What are €650,000 for certain countries? These agents will always appear clean and they have ways to pass the due diligence. Can the government guarantee that no passports will be issued to secret service agents? It is to this point that government is playing with the country's security."