Karol Aquilina says 'fraudster' who bought Maltese passport signed false declaration to vote in elections

Israeli magnate, Anatoly Hurgin, signed a false declaration to be granted the right to vote on the same day that he bought a Maltese passport through the Individual Investors Programme, Nationalist MP Karol Aquilina said.

Speaking during Budget estimates in Parliament this morning, Aquilina said that Hurgin, 61, is facing fraud charges in the United States. Aquilina said Hurgin's treatment by Identity Malta was proof that the 'due dilligence' the government had so much faith in was nothing but a sham. 

Hurgin bought a Maltese passport in 2015 and his companies specialise in telephone hacking technology which, Aquilina said, is used by governments across the world for espionage purposes.

Hurgin is amongst other purchasers of a Maltese passport who are facing serious financial crime charges. 

New #Maltese citizen Anatoly Hurgin who is facing fraud charges in #US #Israel made false declaration to @identitymalta and was granted right to vote in general election by @MaltaGov. #FakeDueDiligence #BanPassportSales @adriandeliapn @RobertaMetsola @DavidCasaMEP @TheShiftNews pic.twitter.com/0UhrsttimD

— Karol Aquilina (@KarolAquilina) October 24, 2019

"Hurgin had only been in Malta for less than 20 days," Aquilina said, tabling the "false declaration" he made in Parliament, which asserted that Hurgin had been living in Malta for the last 180 days in the last 18-month-period.

"On the same day that he was granted Maltese citizenship, the Labour government stealthily and, abusing its power, gave Hurgin, his wife and their children the right to vote," Aquilina insisted, adding that Hurgin was buttered up and allowed to get away with such a false statement because his area of specialisation happened to be espionage.

“The cash-for-passports scheme is getting our country into trouble and continues to dent Malta’s reputation,” Aquilina said.

Julia Farrugia Portelli — so will the government resort to increasing taxes?

Citizenship Parliamentary Secretary Julia Farrugia Portelli said the government could not revoke the citizenship of any persons being charged abroad, until there is a guilty verdict.

She said the citizenship scheme was a serious one, and that action would be taken once there is enough proof of wrongdoing. 

Farrugia Portelli said an inquiry was under way in connection with suspicions that 19 persons had acquired Maltese citizenship through a marriage of convenience. Three of these cases, were the result of somebody acquiring a Maltese passport, she added. 

She also accused Aquilina of leaking documents from the electoral commission.

The parliamentary secretary said the Nationalist Party was not being clear about its position on the cash-for-passports scheme and asked Aquilina whether a PN government would be willing to increase taxes to make up for lost revenue if it removed the scheme.