Magistrate on duty grants Jason Azzopardi’s request for magisterial investigation into Identita

The magistrate on duty has granted a request for a judicial investigation into an alleged Identita scam involving the distribution of 18,000 fake identity cards, lawyer Jason Azzopardi said on social media on Tuesday.

Speaking about his request for an investigation, Azzopardi said that this situation “concerns the biggest corruption scandal that has ever existed in our country in a government department or agency”. He said that on 31 July he had filed a request to open a magisterial investigation into “the corruption and money laundering in connection with the distribution of Maltese identity cards by Identity Malta”. He noted that the agency is now known as Identita, although “the only identity it has is corruption”.

He indicated that foreigners were obtaining Maltese identity cards using forged documents, including forged marriage certificates and forged certificates from the Maltese Companies Register.

Regarding the forged documents from the company register, Azzopardi said that such documents were not forged from the MBR itself, but by corrupt individuals working within Identity Malta. He continued that the name of a company would be registered at a certain Maltese address, while the person living there would not even know that his address had been used for this purpose. “We have reached a state in this country where they steal the private addresses of our homes,” the lawyer noted.

Azzopardi said that police chief Angelo Gafa had been aware of the situation for “at least two and a half years, in fact longer than that,” but had still not requested an investigation. “The reason is very simple,” Azzopardi continued, “if you investigate the gang in a forensic way as you should, you get to Castille, you get to the prime minister’s office.”

He continued that if the investigation were done properly, it would reveal that government officials were involved, “very high up in government, including the cabinet… including the OPM”

Azzopardi referred again to the Duty Magistrate’s decree, saying that the magistrate had found sufficient grounds to launch an investigation just fourteen days after his request was made. He noted that this meant that “an ordinary citizen like me” had done in fourteen days “what Angelo Gafa, Robert Abela, Byron Camilleri and Identity Malta could have done three or two years ago and did not do”.

The lawyer noted that this meant that for the first time in Malta there would be a judicial inquiry at the request of an “ordinary, private citizen” to investigate “corruption, money laundering, forgery of documents, influence peddling and conspiracy”.

Azzopardi wondered if the Minister for Identity Malta still existed, referring to Interior Minister Byron Camilleri. “Casper the friendly ghost is easier to find,” he noted.

He said he wanted the gravity of the moment to be understood and asked why the authorities involved, “especially Angelo Gafa, Identity Malta, Byron Camilleri, Ryan Spangol and Mark Mallia” had not requested an investigation, noting that they could have done so two or three years ago.

That said, he added that he is now addressing all Maltese who have received letters registered to their address and addressed to foreigners they do not know. “I have given you a tool to knock on the door of the magistrate who will lead the investigation, where, with a simple request, you can present any of your cases.”

Azzopardi said he is “nobody special,” and that what he did could have been done by anyone. “Everyone has a duty to stand up for what is right,” he continued, “don’t let them steal your identity, our dignity… They are corrupt.”

“This is a mafia, although it is not called a mafia, but it is the same structure. All you need to dismantle the mafia are people who talk,” Azzopardi said, referring to previous statements by murdered Italian judge Giovanni Falcone.

The lawyer concluded by saying that now is the time to speak, “now is the time for people to apply for whistleblower status.” He added that people can come forward and talk to him privately, or they can go to the magistrate.

“I call on you to use the tools of the law. Get a backbone, don’t let them walk all over you. They steal your identity… I am bombarded with stories every day.”