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€1.20 Download the MaltaToday App now YOUR FIRST READ AND FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT maltatoday SUNDAY • 13 OCTOBER 2013 • ISSUE 727 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY Tragedy unfolds as Malta calls on Europe to act PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS MANGION REUBEN BALZAN INTERVIEWED PGS 12-13 The peaceful expression of the drowned Syrian toddler yesterday morning on the wet cement at the naval station of the Armed Forces of Malta. As the world observed the calamity facing hundreds of migrants off Malta and Lampedusa, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat called on Europe to act, rather than making hollow promises HARROWING TALE OF MIGRANT DEATHS PAGES 16, 17 Marie Louise Coleiro rated most popular minister mt survey Joseph Muscat leads Simon Busuttil by 16 points VETERAN Labour MP and Social Policy Minister Marie Louise Coleiro Preca emerges as the most positively rated Minister in Joseph Muscat's cabinet, even surpassing Muscat himself. 61% of all respondents, including 28% of Nationalist voters in last March's election, rated her performance positively. The survey also shows that Muscat continues to enjoy a higher trust rating than Opposition leader Simon Busuttil. Although the survey shows Busuttil increasing his trust rating by four points, Muscat also managed to increase his rating by eight points, amidst a decline in undecided respondents. CONTINUES ON PAGE 3 FULL SURVEY ON PAGES 9,10 & 11 47.4% Names of those who buy Maltese citizenship will not be published MATTHEW VELLA AND JURGEN BALZAN A government plan to sell Maltese citizenship to the world's super-rich lacks any form of transparency or accountability. The VIPs who buy a passport will not have their names published in the government gazette, and Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia will be granted discretionary powers to award citizenship to applicants facing so-called "politically motivated" charges at home. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's gov- ernment this week said the Individual Investor Programme (IIP) will reap €30 million next year by selling Maltese citizenship at €650,000 to applicants – but this falls to an average €185,000 per passport if a family of five acquires citizenship. The 'golden passport' will give applicants full voting rights in Malta as well as freedom to move across the European Union. Shadow Minister for Finance Tonio Fenech expressed reservations about the citizenship programme (see reply on page 8). Controversially, government is al- lowing itself the power of granting citizenship to applicants claiming they face "politically motivated charges or convictions" – a vague description for politicians running away from criminal investigations at home or, possibly, pro-democracy activists persecuted by authoritarian governments. Of concern is the fact that government will strike off Article 25 of the Maltese Citizenship Act, which obliges it to publish the names of all naturalised citizens. It will now be impossible to know to whom government is selling citizenship for cash. MaltaToday was told by govern- 4.4% 7.7% ment officials that the applicants for the 'golden passport' will be given VIP treatment at airports during their application phase. "We are not going to have them stand in queues at the airport, not when they are paying us this kind of money for a passport." The Office of the Prime Minister has denied suggestions by this newspaper that they are fast-tracking the naturalisation process by demanding cash. "We are seeking high-net-worth individuals who want to enjoy the stability of a country like Malta, and investing this money in a posterity fund that will be enjoyed by future generations." 31.1% Health&Fitness TODAY FREE INSIDE: Health & Fitness Today with MaltaToday 8 - Health & Fitness Today Newspaper post FIMBank p.l.c. is a licensed credit instituti in Malta with Bank l c licensed edit institution icense d tituti alta wi l it compan registration company registration C17003 is regulated by the Malta o pa a istrati tr t 003, s t d h Malta Financial Servi Financial Services Authority and listed on the Malta Stock vices A horit n l vi ri t t tock t E hange. The Exchange. The Bank is a part ipant of the Depositor e k is participant pa e Deposito pos t s C p sation Schem in al T Compensation Scheme in Malta. Terms a d conditions a ply. S h an ition itions ap tions ti ns