Opposition MPs Claudette Buttigieg and Darren Carabott today addressed the ongoing Identità corruption scandal, taking aim at home affairs minister Byron Camilleri’s apparent absence from the public eye.
Buttigieg, addressing civil servants, urged them not to be afraid and to come forward with information. “Don’t let those who are corrupt taint you too,” she said, assuring that a PN government would “ensure that you have dignity and will not allow anyone to ride roughshod over you.”
In a half-hearted call for Byron Camilleri’s resignation, Carabott said, “The politician responsible for identity failed to take action to prevent what has happened.” He pointedly asked, “Where is the police chief? Where is Byron Camilleri?”
Buttigieg described the scandal as “yet another feather in Labour’s cap,” framing corruption as the legacy of the current government. In a mocking tone, she added, “If you have seen Byron, call us and inform us… he has gone AWOL.”
The press conference comes amid growing allegations of a widespread “racket” involving forged rental contracts and misuse of personal data at Identità. To date, the agency has failed to explain how addresses belonging to property owners, including those currently hospitalised or in care homes, ended up receiving mail for unknown third parties supposedly registered at those addresses.
Addressing a press conference this afternoon, the Nationalist Party MPs laid out three key demands:
- The immediate publication of Identità’s internal probe conducted by the agency’s Compliance Section and Expatriates Unit.
- The creation of a digital platform allowing citizens to see who has been registered at their addresses without their knowledge.
- A call for people receiving letters at their addresses for unknown individuals to inform their local MP.
Last week, the PN and civil society organisations called for Camilleri’s resignation, citing his “absolute silence” in the face of these grave allegations. The Opposition argued that the people deserve a government with “backbone” to address these concerns, rather than the current leadership’s apparent inaction.
Today, Buttigieg also took a moment to praise lawyer and former PN minister Jason Azzopardi, thanking him for his efforts and noting that many people view him as an avenue to reveal information about the scandal.
A magisterial inquiry has been launched into what Azzopardi describes as an “extensive and systematic scheme” of fraudulent identity card issuance by Malta’s government agency, Identità.
The decision, made yesterday by a duty magistrate, is a significant development in a scandal that allegedly involves corruption, bribery, document falsification, money laundering, and organised crime. Azzopardi announced this inquiry during a Facebook live broadcast, emphasising its historic significance in uncovering what he claims is the “biggest corruption scandal at a single government agency.”
The scheme, which purportedly began in 2015, allegedly resulted in the issuance of around 18,000 fraudulent identity cards to third-country nationals, mainly from Egypt and Libya. These cards, based on falsified marriage and business certificates, have reportedly enabled recipients to travel within the Schengen area, bypassing European regulations. Among those implicated are Bernard Attard and Maria Spiteri, an Identità employee accused of processing these fraudulent documents after hours.
Azzopardi also raised a critical issue that has affected many Maltese residents: the mysterious arrival of letters addressed to unknown foreign individuals at their homes. Some recipients of these letters are people currently hospitalised or residing in state-owned care homes.
Azzopardi urged those affected to come forward to the inquiring magistrate, suggesting that these incidents could be tied to the fraudulent identity card scheme.
In light of these allegations, the inquiry is set to begin on 15 August, provided no appeal is filed by those mentioned in Azzopardi’s application. The lawyer has strongly criticised the police and government for their apparent inaction, questioning why an investigation was not initiated earlier despite clear evidence of misconduct.
In response to the scandal, Identità has stated that it is fully cooperating with the police and has launched internal investigations. However, the agency’s efforts have been met with skepticism, especially in the wake of revelations about the scale of the alleged fraud and the involvement of high-ranking officials. The opposition, along with civil society organisations, has called for the resignation of Camilleri, accusing him of failing to act on these serious allegations.
The inquiry will now proceed to investigate the full extent of the scheme, including the involvement of various government officials and the potential destruction of critical evidence.
