Case of Russian oligarch with Cypriot passport who purchased Finnish island underneath scrutiny

The federal government may also examine the citizenship case of Russian oligarch Igor Kesaev who simply purchased with a Cypriot ‘golden passport’ a big island from a strategically essential space in Finland.

That is what Philenews – citing insiders – mentioned on Saturday, the day after Cupboard determined to revoke the passports of 45 individuals who obtained citizenship underneath the now discredited citizenship by funding scheme.

The scheme which ran for greater than a decade granted virtually 7,000 individuals citizenship. No names of these whose passports will likely be revoked had been give out.

Furthermore, Cupboard additional determined to analyze six further circumstances – reportedly together with that of Kesaev who is alleged to regulate some 70% of Russia’s tobacco markets and has been reportedly linked to arms dealing.

Friday’s resolution by the island’s Cupboard to revoke the passports of 39 buyers and 6 dependents follows a suggestion by a government-appointed fee in June.

A Cypriot passport grants visa-free journey, working and residency rights all through the 27-nation European Union. The scheme was widespread with Russians and buyers from Asia.

The European Fee had put stress on Cyprus to abolish the cotnrversial passport scheme.

The federal government-appointed fee, headed by a former Chief Justice, mentioned the scheme had run in a vaccum for greater than a decade with out satisfactory oversight and no checks and balances.

It concluded that greater than 53% of people that obtained citizenship underneath the scheme did so unlawfully.