Citizenship for sale: fugitives, politicians and disgraced businesspeople buying Vanuatu passports
?width=1020&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=95ef3e62cc1199cd24b0b2ab70b1e170
A controversial golden passports scheme run by the Pacific nation of Vanuatu saw more than 2,000 people, including a slew of disgraced businesspeople and individuals sought by police in countries all over the world, purchase citizenship in 2020 and with it visa-free access to the EU and UK, the Guardian can reveal.
Among those granted citizenship through the countrys development support program were a Syrian businessman with US sanctions against his businesses, a suspected North Korean politician, an Italian businessman accused of extorting the Vatican, a former member of a notorious Australian motorcycle gang, and South African brothers accused of a $3.6bn cryptocurrency heist.
The passport scheme allows foreign nationals to purchase citizenship for US$130,000 in a process that typically takes just over a month all without ever setting foot in the country.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/15/citizenship-for-sale-fugitives-politicians-and-disgraced-businesspeople-buying-vanuatu-passports