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The EU Court declares the 'golden passport' scheme of illegal malt

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The Court of Justice of Europe (ECJ) ruled that the controversial scheme of “Gold Passport” of Malta violates the Law of the European Union and must stop immediately.

In a decision issued on Tuesday, the EU Superior Court declared: “A Member State cannot grant its nationality, and in fact European citizenship, in exchange for default payments or investments.”

The court added that “this essentially is equivalent to making the acquisition of nationality a mere commercial transaction.”

The Malta scheme, which offers citizenship to foreign investors in specific financial conditions, has faced long -standing criticism of EU officials and anti -corruption groups, who argue that it allows the evasion of white -collar crimes and sanctions.

The ECJ ruling follows a formal complaint filed by the European Commission about a legal amendment of 2020 that allowed rich people to acquire citizenship after a one -year residence, provided that they complied with certain financial thresholds.

These include possessing properties worth at least € 700,000 or renting for a minimum of € 16,000 per year, significantly contributing to the Maltese government and donating a non -governmental organization.

The TJCE stressed that Malta “must comply with the court ruling without delay,” warning that more legal actions and financial sanctions could follow if the country does not act.

In response, the Maltese government issued a statement saying that it would comply with the court's decision while reviewing the “legal implications” of the sentence. He also defended the program, stating that he had generated 1,400 million euros since its inception in 2015.

Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who launched the initiative, dismissed the Facebook failure as “politically motivated”, arguing that the scheme should be reformed, not abolished.

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Malta is now the only EU country with an active citizenship program for investment. Chipre suspended his version in 2020, while Bulgaria's Parliament voted to finish his scheme in 2022.

Among those who hosted the decision of the court was the Maltese journalist Matthew Caruana Galizia, who described him as “a victory for the people of Malta and for all EU residents who have been unfairly exposed to the whims of money washing machines and corrupt criminals who buy their way in the EU.”

Galizia is the son of the late research journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in 2017 while investigating corruption in Malta.

International transparency also applauded the trial. The head of the organization, Maira Martini, said: “Today's trial confirms that Member States cannot commercialize EU citizenship and operate reckless golden passport programs … The ruling prevents not only Malta for selling EU citizens, but also preventing other Member States from doing the same.”

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