Citizenship should be ‘earned not bought’ – Helga Ellul

PN candidate Helga Ellul today said that wealthy foreigners should not be allowed to obtain a Maltese passport "by simply writing a cheque."

"A citizenship should be earned and honoured, but never bought," she said.

The German-born businesswoman said that she earned her Maltese citizenship and insisted that she valued it, "which is why I did my very best in every occasion I had to contribute towards the strengthening of our economy, our country."

The MEP candidate who has been living in Malta for some forty years, pointed out that as a business person, she understands, and actually encourages, the government's effort to attract investment to and in our country, "however, our citizenship should remain something of value, rather than an item to be sold with practically no strings attached."

She said that while other countries are battling for financial stability, "the Labour Government has inherited a stable financial situation, and yet this Government's first main news item to hit the international news is the sale of our citizenship."