An investigation into how Malta issued 18,000 fraudulent identity cards could be taken over by regional authorities as the local investigation struggles to make progress.

The Maltese identity card issuing authority, Identità, has been accused of accepting bribes to allow ineligible people to acquire Maltese identity cards, which in turn give them the right to travel within the Schengen area. The investigation quickly led to a conviction shortly after it was launched in August, when a man pleaded guilty to document fraudfalse statements and aiding and abetting violations of immigration laws.

Identità CEO Steve Agius says the organization is in the midst of reforms intended to improve its efficiency, transparency and responsiveness, reports Malta today.

Subsequently, Maltese MEP Peter Agius asked the European Commission to undertake a technical assessment of Identità’s practices, TVM News reports. The request was made during a meeting with European Commissioner Ilva Johansson two weeks ago.

The Malta Chamber of Commerce said when it launched the investigation in August that the scandal was part of a “distribution of competitions» within the country’s government, which he accuses of “gross mismanagement”.

Identità employee Isaac Micallef claimed during his court testimony this week that confusion was behind the testimony he gave during his first appearance on the witness stand, which conflicted with that of a other employee of the agency, according to Malta today.

During his first appearance, the Malta Times reports that Micallef twice said he did not turn over a particular woman’s file to another agency employee, Stefano Rodoligo, directly contradicting Rodoligo’s own assertion. The woman denies being married to Moustafa Ata Moussa Darwish, an Egyptian national accused of holding an identity document issued by Identità on the grounds that he is the woman’s spouse.

The court ordered an investigation into the conflicting testimonies, which ended when police inspector Lara Butters told the court that police “found nothing.”

The island nation’s Green Party has already demanded resignation from his interior minister over the scandal, and another opposition party, the Nationalist Party, publicly questioned whether a series of police raids had been carried out on the basis of erroneous information due to false registered addresses on Identità.

Identità maintains that it was not involved in the police raids and asserts “that all procedures and services are carried out with the highest standards of integrity”. Independent Malta reports.

Article topics

EU | Identify | identity document | identity management | Malta