Cyprus, Malta Annulled ‘Golden Passports’ Of Belarusians

• 12.05.2023, 18:38

The Russians were also deprived of their passports.

Against the backdrop of the current situation in Ukraine, the authorities of Cyprus and Malta have canceled the so-called “golden passports” of several dozen citizens of Russia and Belarus, who are on the EU sanctions lists, writes European Pravda.

This is stated in the response of the European Commission to the request of the member of the European Parliament from the Free Democratic Party of Germany, Moritz Kerner, the document was at the disposal of Spiegel.

According to the European Commission, Cyprus has deprived nine Russians and 34 members of their families of their “golden passports” due to the fact that they fell under sanctions imposed by the EU due to Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine. Malta took away the passports of two people.

In a Spiegel commentary, Kerner welcomed the actions of Cyprus and Malta. “Russians and Belarusians who are on the EU sanctions list do not deserve EU citizenship,” the politician said.

Cyprus and Malta, like several other countries in the European Union, have long granted citizenship to foreign investors in exchange for large cash payments. Holders of these “golden passports” enjoy the benefits of EU citizenship.

In Cyprus, to obtain such a passport, one had to invest at least 2.5 million euros. According to the Cypriot government, between 2007 and 2020, about 9.7 billion euros were raised.

After the start of Russia's attack on Ukraine, the European Commission again declared the controversial practice illegal and recommended that EU countries consider cancelling such citizenship — especially if people are on EU sanctions lists or support Russia's aggressive war.