Maltese Law Firm Loses IIP License After Citizenship Sale Undercover Operation
Chetcuti Cauchi Advisors’ license to operate in the Individual Investor Programme has been suspended with immediate effect following an undercover sting operation by a French TV programme, the Malta Individual Investor Programme Agency has announced.
Yesterday, French TV programme Enquête Exclusive published an undercover video showing the law firm, who acts as an IIP agent, boasting about its strong ministerial relationships.
The journalist posed as the legal representative of African clients who were interested in purchasing Maltese citizenship and met up with an unnamed lawyer, whose face was blurred out.
The lawyer could be heard boasting about his connections, including that he is childhood friends with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and that his wife is childhood friends with parliamentary secretary for reforms and citizenship Julia Farrugia Portelli.
At one point in the conversation, the journalist tested the lawyer by warning that one of his ‘clients’ interested in purchasing Maltese citizenship may have a criminal record.
The lawyer responded that the authorities can reject applications without giving a reason but they can also “close an eye” and that he could later provide them with further information that would benefit the client.
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