Russian “wealthy citizens” under sanctions continue to lose European “spare airfields”. As stated by SchengenVisaInfo, two more popular countries canceled the golden passports of Russians. It is about Cyprus and Malta.
According to the publication, the authorities of both these countries decided to revoke their passports after wealthy citizens from the above-mentioned countries were included in the sanctions lists of the European Union.
In total, nine investors from Russia were stripped of their citizenship in Cyprus, as well as a total of 34 people who purchased passports under the Citizenship by Investment scheme. The Maltese authorities canceled the golden passports of two people.
Deputies of the European Parliament unequivocally commented that “Russians and Belarusians who are on the list of EU sanctions do not deserve EU citizenship,” as quoted by Der Spiegel. At the same time, we would like to remind you that the “golden passport” provides an opportunity for non-EU citizens to obtain citizenship if they make a financial contribution to the state that issued the passport.
However, taking into account the entire “golden passport” program, it will be discontinued shortly – and not only for Russians. Accusations of the program’s involvement in illegal schemes, including corruption, tax evasion and money laundering, are mounting.