There have been further repercussions from the Maltese visa scam, and the visit to Algeria of Malta’s Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, on 18-19 November. The alleged scam centred on the prime minister’s cousin Robert Falzon who, with no prior diplomatic experience, had been appointed as Malta’s consul in Algeria since March 2014, and during whose time as consul saw a huge spike in the issuance of Schengen visas (See Algeria Politics & Security – 20.11.15 for details about the alleged fraud).

Since return from Algeria of Jospeh Muscat, the prime minister of Malta, there have been two developments. One is that Malta’s auditor general has agreed to the request from the opposition Nationalist Party (NP) to launch an investigation into the alleged scam. However, as result of the attempt by Muscat’s Labour government to restrict the investigation, it will now, in all likelihood, be more rigorous, with awkward questions being directed at the Prime Minister and his Foreign Minister about the operations of the consulate in Algeria. It will also look at the financial affairs of Robert Falzon in particular, because he – as we reported last week – was serving as Malta’s Consul to Algeria at the time. Air Malta, which is seen as party to the scam, will also be investigated.

Following his return from Algeria, Muscat told the Maltese parliament that the Algerian government ‘laughed off’ allegations about the visa scam at the Maltese consul in Algiers. However, EU officials and member states do not see the alleged scam as being quite so funny. According to Manfred Weber, chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, the issuing of visas and residence permits by the Maltese authorities in Libya and Algeria raises serious questions that could have an impact on the security of Maltese citizens and other Schengen member states.

In a statement issued on 25 November in conjunction with David Casa, head of the NP’s delegation in the EPP Group, Weber said ‘the Schengen area was a major achievement by the European Union for its citizens but the member states enjoying its benefits also carried heavy responsibilities.’

Referring to Muscat’s announcement earlier in November that Malta would temporarily suspend Schengen provisions (as a security procedure), Weber and Casa stressed that ‘member states had a duty to ensure people entering the Schengen area through their territory did so in a legal way.’

‘Member states at the external EU border have an even higher degree of responsibility for the common safety. Regrettably, alleged corruption and abuse appear to have been prevalent,’ they said.
Unrest is once again brewing in the ruling FLN party

The implications of the scam for Algerians entering or already in the EU are potentially serious in that their documents, especially in the current political-security climate, are likely to be scrutinised meticulously. If they are found to have been issued through Malta, then this could result in deportation.