MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2020) Maltese police have arrested Keith Schembri, the chief of staff of the former prime minister, in connection with an investigation into financial misconduct while selling passports to foreign nationals, media reported on Tuesday, citing judicial sources.
Schembri served as chief of staff to the former prime minister, Joseph Muscat, between 2013 and November 2019. According to the Times of Malta, on Tuesday, he was detained by the police along with two financial partners of the Nexia BT business advisory services company.
Police received an arrest warrant for the ex-official after a court decision to freeze Schembri's assets as part of the investigation, the publication said.
Maltese opposition representatives accused Schembri of illegally receiving money from the sales of passports to foreigners back in 2017. Their accusations were based on the information from a leaked report from the financial intelligence unit, according to which Schembri received two suspicious transfers in the amount of 100,000 Euros ($118,000) from one of the Nexia BT employees. Schembri has said that the transfers were related to the return of borrowed money.
The Malta Citizenship by Investment Program was launched by the authorities in 2014.
