The Nationalist Party on Friday condemned the Labour Government’s aggressive propaganda campaign, “which assumes that the Maltese and Gozitan people will forget that it is this very Government which, over the past 11 years, has lost control of the residency and work permit system” – so much so that there are people living in our country whose whereabouts are unknown to the Labour Government, as they are registered at false addresses.
After drastically increasing the population and issuing work permits indiscriminately, Robert Abela’s Government has now lost control over security and the number of individuals who have entered Malta. The Maltese people are not fools, and no one is going to believe that only seven falsified ID cards were uncovered.
If all that was discovered were irregularities in a small number of identity cards, then why did Identità implement all these measures? Who will believe that the Labour Government introduced such widespread changes over such a minor number of falsified ID cards, the PN said.
Identità itself issued a form titled “De-registration of Address Form”, which allows individuals to request the removal of someone registered at a false address and who has never resided there. The form even asks whether a police report has been filed concerning the person in question.
In September 2024, Identità completely changed the system for registering new rental contracts, introducing a dedicated form requiring the signature of a notary or lawyer as a witness, the PN said.
The process for changing one’s address on the identity card was also amended. Identità now requires a copy of the purchase or lease agreement, or a declaration from the property owner confirming that the person resides at the address.
There are numerous other cases for which the Government has failed to provide any explanation to reassure the Maltese public, who still await answers, the PN added.
The Government has not explained how it allowed thousands of foreign nationals to enter our country and register false addresses, as exposed by the aforementioned Identità form;
The Labour Government has not clarified how hospital appointments, cheques from the Central Bank, tax statements, breast screening appointments, letters from Identità, and other correspondence from government entities were delivered to individuals at addresses they never resided in.
No explanation has been given for the confusion within hospitals, where people’s medical records are being mixed up with those of others.
The Government has not explained how Minister Byron Camilleri, in an interview with journalist Kurt Sansone published on 9 September 2024, admitted to having known about the ID card scandal for months, yet chose to keep it hidden.
No explanation has been offered as to how law enforcement officers mistakenly raided the homes of innocent individuals due to incorrect information in the system.
Nor has the Government explained the case reported by journalists about how Schengen Visas were allegedly issued by Malta to individuals accused of crimes against humanity.
It is worth recalling that in May of last year, in court cases initiated by then-Secretary General of the Partit Nazzjonalista Michael Piccinino, 22 different magistrates annulled 99 falsified ID cards after establishing that fraud and tampering had taken place under the Labour Government to influence votes. The court even ordered that action be taken against those responsible for this fraud.
Now, in an attempt to deceive the public, the Labour Government is trying to point to a single criminal case in court – where two former employees of Identità are accused of issuing fake ID cards – as if these two individuals singlehandedly orchestrated the systemic failures that have exposed the Labour Government.
While allowing the judicial process to take its full course, the Partit Nazzjonalista reminds the public that the case involving these two former Identità employees and the seven falsified ID cards is entirely separate from the broader inquiry into the fake ID card scandal.
The PN called on the Labour Government to stop insulting people’s intelligence. At the same time, however, we expect nothing less from the masters of Fake News – Robert Abela’s Labour Party, the PN said,
The statement was signed by Home Affaird spokesman Darren Carabott.