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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 27 AUGUST 2014 News 4 MIRIAM DALLI THE Ministry for Justice has launched #RaiseTheBars on Fa- cebook and on Twitter in a bid to reach out to the public and stimu- late an online discussion on the White Paper proposing amend- ments to laws regulating drug abuse. Under the proposed law on drug decriminalisation, drug users will no longer face a court sentence but instead appear in front of a justice commissioner and, if deemed nec- essary, a social board made up of experts. An exception for cannabis users is being proposed, with the white paper recommending that can- nabis users, including repeat of- fenders, only appear in front of the commissioner. Users caught in simple posses- sion for the first time would no longer be referred to the criminal court but to a justice commission- er who can either issue a warning and/or fine or refer the case to a board made up of social experts, police officers and retired repre- sentatives of the judiciary. Persons caught for the second time would be automatically re- ferred to the social board, which decides what action is necessary, including sending persons to re- habilitation programmes. The white paper follows the recommendation by the justice reform commission, headed by retired Judge Giovanni Bonello, which had proposed that simple possession should no longer be considered as a crime but rather a social problem. The proposal has received a mixed reaction and some experts have expressed concern at the possible repercussions, including increased drug use. The government has insisted that the emphasis should be on re- habilitation and care. "#RaiseTheBars should facilitate the public's discussion on the in- ternet and pass on their own rec- ommendations and ask questions," the Justice Ministry said. The two-month public consulta- tion will end on 15 September. The draft law should be tabled in parliament before the end of the year. MIRIAM DALLI THE launched #RaiseTheBars on Fa- cebook and on Twitter in a bid to reach out to the public and stimu- late an online discussion on the White Paper proposing amend- ments to laws regulating drug abuse. Under the proposed law on drug decriminalisation, drug users will no longer face a court sentence but instead appear in front of a justice Drug reform public consultation goes online IIP cash 'goes straight to Identity Malta' says head MATTHEW VELLA THE head of Identity Malta, the government agency that oversees the sale of Maltese citizenship under the Individual Investor Programme, has dispelled claims that concessionares Henley & Partners could be making a kill- ing from interest earnings by holding IIP application dues in escrow. Jonathan Cardona, head of Identity Malta, told MaltaToday in a telephone conversation that all money paid by IIP applicants was "going to Identity Malta" and not being held by Henley during the time it takes for applicants to have their due diligence tests cleared. "All money paid goes straight to Identity Malta," Cardona told MaltaToday when he was asked whether Henley was holding the money until such time as it takes to give IIP applicants the all-clear. Under the IIP rules, high net worth individuals can become Maltese citizens for €650,000, apart from a €115,000 invest- ment in government bonds, and a €350,000 property (or €16,000 rental investment, annually for five years). They have to pass a due dili- gence test that Henley & Part- ners, the official concessionaires operating and running the IIP, run on all applicants. Henley have declared that over 200 applicants from 30 nation- alities have applied for a Maltese passport since it got up and run- ning early this year. A spokesperson told EUobserv- er.com that the main geographic areas from which applicants originate are the MENA [Middle East and North Africa] region, Russia, China, and South East Asia. Over €200 million in foreign in- vestment will be brought into the country, according to Henley. The company was until recently occupying an office at the Medi- terranean Conference Centre, adjacent to the offices of Identity Malta, through its subsidiary IIP Processing Ltd. Originally, IIP Processing was going to handle the risk assessment and part of the due diligence process for each applicant, and it was decid- ed to locate it in close proximity to Identity Malta. Now that the full processing and due diligence is the full re- sponsibility of Identity Malta, IIP Processing's role is "primarily of an accounting nature", namely reconciling the accounts be- tween Identity Malta and Henley & Partners. As concessionaire, Henley is "first among equals", together with 89 accredited agents all promoting the IIP. Applicants must also be legal residents in Malta for 12 months before becoming full citizens, which means the names of the IIP citizens can be expected by Spring of 2015. Henley reiterated that the pro- gramme will close once it fulfills its quota of 1,800 new passports – which does not exclude de- pendents such as spouses, chil- dren, and parents. Although the Opposition led a robust campaign against the sale of citizenship, effectively contributing to adding new in- vestment and residency require- ments, the IIP gained more le- gitimacy when it was 'green-lit' by the European Commission following talks between the gov- ernment and former justice com- missioner Viviane Reding. "Reding's lawyers could find nothing in the EU treaty to stop it from going ahead, despite issu- ing vague threats," EUobserver. com noted. Prime Minister Joseph Mus- cat will speak on the IIP in New York on 10 September and at a Henley-sponsored conference in Singapore in late October.

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