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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 29 NOVEMBER 2015 11 News News WIN! With our caption competition 26 VIRTU FERRIES TICKETS TO BE WON! Take advantage of our 16th anniversary competition and win a ticket to Sicily by sending us a caption to the photograph. Fill in the form with your name and address, email and phone number. The competition closes on 10 December, and the best captions will be given one return ticket Malta–Pozzallo–Malta valid until the end of the year. Name _________________________________________________________________________________ Address _______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Email _____________________________________ Telephone ___________________________________ YOUR CAPTION: __________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Send to: MaltaToday 16th Anniversary competition, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann maltatoday Citizenship sponsor's name to remain under wraps MATTHEW VELLA THE Information and Data Pro- tection Commissioner has upheld a refusal by a public authority to reveal who the sponsor was for the naturalisation of the wife of former Labour minister Manuel Mallia. Elena Codruta was granted Mal- tese citizenship within a period of less than nine months after apply- ing for naturalisation in March 2014, having resided in Malta for at least seven years preceding the application. Her husband was dis- missed as minister in December 2014. The information was given to MaltaToday after Identity Malta provided a redacted version of the application by Elena Codruta Cris- tian under a Freedom of Informa- tion request. But in a subsequent complaint, the IDPC said that MaltaToday's request to know who the sponsor was for Codruta Mallia's applica- tion, pertained to third parties: "The Commissioner strongly be- lieves that the interest of the public to know this information does not arise, since it does not seem to in- fluence the eligibility criteria used to reach a decision in the process of granting Maltese citizenship or otherwise." At law, a sponsor for a person seeking naturalisation must be an MP, a member of the judiciary, a legal or medical professional, a high-ranking police or army offic- er, or a parish priest certifying that the applicant is of good character. The only new information aris- ing from the IDPC's decision is that it was the Prime Minister who signed the official certificate of citizenship, as acting minister for home affairs. The date of naturalisation is not yet known, although MaltaToday has been granted the opportunity to physically inspect the certificate of citizenship, and a 2011 memo- randum showing the criteria ap- plied for the granting of citizen- ship. The IDPC said it was not in fa- vour of disclosing information contained in the applications for naturalisation due to the confiden- tial nature the process entails. Mallia's Romanian-born wife – the couple were married on 21 July, 2012 – applied in March 2014 under Article 10 of the Maltese Citizenship Act, to request citi- zenship on the ground of having resided in Malta for at least seven years preceding the application. As minister responsible for citi- zenship affairs, Mallia denied hav- ing examined the request of his wife for citizenship during the time he was minister responsible for citizenship. He was dismissed from office on 9 December, 2014 and was instantly replaced with Carmelo Abela. While the PN accused him of having fast-tracked his wife's ap- plication for citizenship, Mallia said that his wife's certificate of citizenship "was not signed by me but independently without my in- tervention." The allegations about Mallia's wife's naturalisation came about after MaltaToday first reported that the chief medical officer had obtained a garnishee order against Elena Codruta Cristian – still an unmarried Romanian national living in Malta – for €3,657.11 in outstanding bills from Mater Dei Hospital, claimed between 16-21 December, 2008. Although an EU citizen, it would seem Codruta Cristian was still li- able for national health fees. She applied for naturalization under article 10(1) of the Citizen- ship Act, and not on the strength of her marriage to Manuel Mallia. That means that a 2011 internal memorandum applies, specifically providing for the residence criteria to be followed. Prime Minister signed Manuel Mallia's wife's citizenship certificate as acting home affairs minister Former home affairs minister Manuel Mallia (left) with his wife Elena. PHOTO Ray Attard Malta-bound Syrian reportedly photographed wearing 'ISIS uniform' THE Italian authorities are intensi- fying their investigation into the ar- rest of two Syrians who attempted to reach Malta from Italy using fake passports. It has now emerged that a photo of 30-year-old Alali Faowaz wearing an ISIS uniform was found on his mo- bile. Along with Hazem Alhamed, 19, Faowaz denied any links to terror groups, indeed claiming to have fled from Islamic State. They were arrested with fake pass- ports at Bergamo airport last week, and pictures of an armed man on their mobile phones led to fears that they had links with ISIS. However, Faowaz told court that the man on his phone was his cousin who had been killed in battle, Corri- ere della Sera reported. He insisted that he had moved from Greece to Raqqa before ISIS sprang to power and declared the Syrian city the capital of their caliphate. "After that, people had to either work for ISIS or not work at all, and I was as- signed to work as a policeman," he said. The investigators insist that Faowaz was a member of ISIS, but he told the court that he was forced to sign up with ISIS to be able to work.