The Maltese authorities today announced, they have initiated proceedings to revoke citizenship of Egyptian national charged with securities fraud in US will be stripped of Maltese citizenship granted under Individual Investor Program, the Malta Times reported today.
This would be first citizenship case to be stripped of citizenship granted for investment. Until now there have been no cases of Malta stripping citizenship granted under the IIP.
A spokesperson for IIP Malta, said that together with the parliamentary secretariat and Identity Malta, it had “initiated the process for the deprivation of citizenship of Mustafa Abdel-Wadood and his dependents according to Article 14 of the Maltese Citizenship Act”.
Under Malta IIP Citizenship Act, any one, within seven years after becoming naturalised, orbeing registered as a citizen of Malta, been sentenced in any country to a punishment restrictive of personal liberty for a term of not less than 12 months will be deprived of citizenship. Further according to the act
- A citizen of Malta who is deprived of his citizenship by an order of the Minister under article 14 shall, upon the making of the order, cease to be a citizen of Malta.
- Further the renunciation by any person of his Maltese citizenship or the deprivation of any person’s Maltese citizenship under the provisions of this Part of this Act shall not affect the liability of that person for any offence committed by him before the renunciation or deprivation of his citizenship
Other reasons leading to deprivation of citizenship include serving for military where Malta is a member, concealment, forgery or fraud.
