PM must not remain silent when faced with new developments on government corruption, PN says

The Prime Minister Robert Abela must step up and take action on stories concerning government corruption, the Nationalist Party has said.  

The PN was reacting to a story published by MaltaToday on Sunday regarding Chen Cheng’s direct influence on Malta’s residence visa programme (MRVP) in the months prior to an open market call for concessionaires.  

Chen Cheng has been revealed as the person behind the secret company Macbridge, which has been suspected of being set up to pay kickbacks to Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi.  

MaltaToday revealed that Cheng Chen was aware immediately of government plans to launch the MRVP, a visa residency scheme for high net-worth individuals who were unable to apply for the Individual Investor Programme due to dual citizenship prohibition in their country of origin. 

From March 2015, right until the MRVP’s tendering process later on in September that year, Cheng Chen and his associate ‘Kevin’ Haibin Mao were in constant contact with staff in Konrad Mizzi’s ministry for energy. 

Communications and documents seen by MaltaToday show that Cheng Chen – an Accenture employee who in 2014 negotiated on behalf of Shanghai Electric Power for its acquisition of a stake in Malta’s power company Enemalta – took an active role in trying to influence the MRVP and how it would be shaped. 

The PN said Abela cannot continue to remain silent when faced by such “scandalous stories.” 

“Robert Abela not only has to apologise for the way the country’s people have been betrayed, but has the responsibility of uncovering and ousting corrupt individuals from his own party,” it said.  

This, the party said, would ensure that Malta’s reputation is not tarnished any further.  

“If he fails to do so, Robert Abela would be confirming that he is simply a continuation of the wrong that has been carried out,” the PN said. “Our country deserves better.”