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MIRIAM DALLI HENLEY & Partners' decision to include a four-year-old foreword by former Nationalist minister Tonio Fenech in their latest edi- tion of the Global Residence and Citizenship Handbook, which was presented during a London conference earlier this month has left the MP fuming. When contacted over his 'latest' contribution, Fenech, a member of the Nationalist opposition, ex- pressed surprise and denied ever sending in a write-up for the sixth edition of the Henley handbook. In fact, Fenech later confirmed that Henley & Partners, conces- sionaires of Malta's Individual Investor Programme, had repro- duced the foreword that he had written four years ago, "as a com- plimentary gesture" when H&P had helped Malta in developing a high net worth scheme. "That foreword was written for one specific edition and it is highly unacceptable for them to reproduce it in that manner, totally out of context," an irate Fenech told MaltaToday. "It is highly unprofessional and the least they could have done was to ask me first." Albeit PN exponents are direct- ly involved in legal firms which are IIP agents, the Nationalist opposition has been a vocifer- ous opponent of the citizenship scheme. Opposition leader Si- mon Busuttil has even stated that, if elected, he would with- draw citizenships granted through the IIP – although he later changed tack and said that he would review the scheme and change its "lack of principled approach". In questions sent to the Henley chairman, Chris- tian Kalin confirmed that Fenech's foreword "was in all the editions of the hand- book", adding that he "could not understand the fuss" when it was pointed out that the PN had come out strongly against the sale of citizenship. Asked whether Henley & Part- ners had reached out to the PN, Kalin said: "Not recently, but we think it might actually be a good idea to do so. We do not have any bad relationship with the Nation- alist Party. Henley & Partners is not a political outfit, we work with governments, not with po- litical parties. Thus we are always open to dialogue with representa- tives of the entire political spec- trum." WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION €1.00 Newspaper post PG 9 • Editorial WEDNESDAY • 23 NOVEMBER 2016 • ISSUE 497 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY www.visitgozo.com Further information please visit: www.christmasingozo.com or our facebook page Christmas in Gozo MINISTRY FOR GOZO CHRISTMAS IN GOZO 3rd Dec 2016 till 8th Jan 2017 Natività - by the artist Noel Debono Panama MEPs stopped from Malta visit, Scicluna skirts grilling Panama vice-chairman: 'We will keep pushing for a full investigation of the Panama Papers scandal, including member states' own dirty laundry' MATTHEW VELLA FINANCE minister Edward Scicluna has told the chairman of the Panama Papers com- mittee that he will not attend a 7 December meeting to face questions from MEPs on Mal- ta's compliance to EU legisla- tion on tax avoidance and tax evasion. The European Parliament's committee of inquiry into money laundering, tax avoid- ance and tax evasion was formed in the aftermath of the Panama Papers revelations, which showed that former en- ergy minister Konrad Mizzi and the Maltese prime minis- ter's chief of staff, Keith Schem- bri, had opened offshore firms in Panama to hold potential business earnings and other wealth in a New Zealand trust. The PANA committee chair- man, Werner Langen, informed the committee that Scicluna would not make the meeting, due to the expected vote on the Budgetary Measures Bill in December which requires the minister to be in the House of Representatives. But Scicluna also hinted that the Council of Ministers would be opposing having ministers give answers before the com- mittee. "The Council may not be very keen to cooperate with the PANA committee," Langen told the committee, referring to a legal opinion prepared for the Council in a bid to oppose having ministers appear before the committee. The PANA committee's vice- chair, Fabio de Masi, a German MEP from the European Left, accused Scicluna of dodging his responsibilities. "There would be enough to talk about besides the position of the Council. For instance, why the Maltese government is still actively involved in slow- ing down progress on new rules for corporate transparency or against money laundering. PAGE 4 Finance ministers Wolfgang Schauble, of Germany, and Edward Scicluna Tonio Fenech furious after Henley & Partners reproduce 2012 foreword Tonio Fenech PAGE 7