Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1073679
5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 23 JANUARY 2019 NEWS Operational Programme I – European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 "Fostering a competitive and sustainable economy to meet our challenges" Advert part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund Co-financing rate: Public Eligible (80% European Union; 20% National Funds) Business Enhance ERDF Grant Schemes Expression of Interest for Service Providers The Measures and Support Division within the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality invites interested Service Providers to submit their application to be included as registered service providers under the following Business Enhance ERDF Grant Schemes: • SME Consultancy Services Grant Scheme • e-Commerce Grant Scheme Applications Application forms may be accessed from www.businessenhance.gov.mt. Applications, along with supporting documentation, are to be submitted to the Measures and Support Division by email on msd.meae@gov.mt. Further information may be requested by sending an e-mail to msd.meae@gov.mt. Business Enhance ERDF Grant Schemes Expression of Interest for Service Providers The Measures and Support Division within the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality invites interested Service Providers to submit their application to be included as registered service providers under the following Business Enhance ERDF Grant Schemes: • SME Consultancy Services Grant Scheme • e-Commerce Grant Scheme Applications Application forms may be accessed from www.businessenhance.gov.mt. Applications, along with supporting documentation, are to be submitted to the Measures and Support Division by email on msd.meae@gov.mt. Further information may be requested by sending an e-mail to msd.meae@gov.mt. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 And yet by its own admis- sion, the report did not look at the tax aspects of the schemes, indeed declaring that "per se, the use of these schemes does not equal tax evasion", saying only that there could be "room for abuse" for the purposes of tax evasion. Brussels said it will now aim for a common set of security checks for investor citizenship schemes for 2019, including specific risk management pro- cesses that take into account security, money laundering and corruption risks. But the report fell short of a condemnation of any scheme, Malta's included. Instead it complained about incomplete information on statistics, or a lack of mechanisms to ensure cooperation between member states on security checks for the elite buyers of the golden passports. "Given the inex- tricable link between such schemes and the acquisition of EU citizenship and associated rights, the lack of transparency and cooperation is troubling," the report said. Brussels said it will set up a group of experts to address specific risks posed by citizen- ship schemes and issues of transparency, exchange of in- formation and statistics, as well as consultations on applicants from high-risk countries and those rejected for security risks. The report focused on the sole three EU countries sell- ing citizenship and not simply residence visas, namely Bul- garia, Cyprus and Malta which introduced their programmes in 2005, 2007 and 2013 respec- tively. In Bulgaria, an overall invest- ment of €1 million is requested under its fast-track investor citizenship scheme. In Cyprus, a minimum investment of €2 million is necessary, together with ownership of property in Cyprus. In Malta, a contri- bution of €650,000 must be paid into a national invest- ment fund, together with an investment of €150,000 and a requirement to own or rent property in Malta (worth €350,000 or rented at €15,000 annually for five years). In Cy- prus and Malta, additional in- vestments for family members are required. The report was clear in de- claring that applicants in each scheme do not need to have resided in practice in the coun- try: in Malta, the applicant must be physically present twice, once to provide biom- etric data for the e-Residence Card and once to take the oath of allegiance; they are then en- couraged to establish further voluntary links with Malta, by for example donating to chari- table organisations, taking out membership of a local sports club or paying income to the Maltese Inland Revenue. The study also found scarce rules on security protocols for investor citizenship but high- lighted Malta's own due dile- gence system. "The Maltese authorities consult Interpol and Europol databases as part of a four-tier due diligence process cover- ing: know-your-client due diligence checks by the agent and Identity Malta's IIP unit... clearance by the police author- ities; a check for completeness and correctness of the appli- cation and verification of the documents submitted; and an outsourced due diligence check whereby Identity Malta commissions two reports from international companies on every IIP application. "The study was not able to obtain information about any use made by the Maltese authorities of EU databases, including the Schengen Infor- mation System (SIS). On the other hand, Malta excludes nationals of certain countries and persons subject to travel bans imposed by the United States from applying for citi- zenship under its scheme. No information was available on the Maltese policy concerning persons subject to EU restric- tive measures." Identity Malta confirmed for the purposes of the study that the due diligence definitions and procedures of the Anti Money Laundering Directive are followed in the four-tier process of due diligence it uses. Malta is also the only scheme with a regulator, which pub- lishes annual reports, which are subject to parliamen- tary scrutiny. But the report claimed that under none of the three investor citizenship schemes is information sys- tematically available about the number of applications received under such schemes, refusals or country of origin of foreigners who success- fully obtain citizenship via this route – information that is actually available in the regula- tor's reports. Malta also had the highest cap on applications at 1,800, while Cyprus took in 700 every year and Bulgaria imposed no cap. Report fell short of a condemnation of any scheme MATTHEW AGIUS PIERRE Portelli, head of the PN's media, has told a court that Repubblika activist Manuel Delia acted as ghostwriter for Adrian Delia during the leadership cam- paign. The executive chairperson of Media.link Communications, was testifying in a libel case filed by Manuel Delia against Media. link editor Robert Cremona. Portelli told Magistrate Rachel Montebello that he had been informed of the Right of Reply filed by Manuel Delia following a Net News story in which it was reported that the PN parliamen- tary group voted in favour of a law allowing cannabis cultivation in Malta when this was not true. In a subsequent blog post, Ma- nuel Delia argued that he had only reported that Adrian Delia cut short a debate on the matter in the parliamentary group and failed to declare the interest of his wife's family and a close aide of his in the sector. From the witness stand, Portelli explained that he had instructed his staff not to publish the right of reply. "I had given the instruction that this wasn't to be published as it was a Right of Reply to a Right of Reply. I am also aware of what Manuel Delia was writing about Adrian Delia with regards to the legalisation of cannabis because of a family connection. "Besides this I've known Ma- nuel Delia for a long time. We were at university together. He has a very good pen and I had invited him to write a number of articles. I had offered him a job as an editor but he wanted twice as much money as I was offer- ing," Portelli said. He then explained that in the summer of 2017 during the PN leadership race, Adrian Delia had thrown his hat into the ring and Portelli was asked to help. "It was agreed that Manuel De- lia would be a ghostwriter for Adrian Delia's articles from Au- gust to September. In September after Adrian won, Manuel wrote to me asking for payment," Por- telli testified. But it was when Delia men- tioned "other clients" that Por- telli grew alarmed. He had no idea or control over who these clients were, he said. This led to a potential conflict of interest which he as editor would have no idea about, Por- telli said. "From then on, I had to take everything he wrote as having been written for a particular cli- ent," testified Portelli. "In view of his statement that he had other clients, and there- fore that it could not be known whether he was writing for them, I felt it would not be right to al- low him a Right of Reply from a Right of Reply," Portelli said. The case continues on 20 Feb- ruary. Manuel Delia was Adrian Delia's ghostwriter during leadership campaign, court told Portelli said that Manuel Delia (left) was Adrian Delia's (right) ghostwriter in August and September 2017