Maltese newspaper reported that 62 Saudis belonging to two of the wealthiest families in Saudi Arabia became Maltese citizens and thus citizens of the European Union in 2017 after paying millions of euros to buy the Malta passport.

The Times of Malta was based on the country's official newspaper, which published a list of family names only for holders of the Maltese passports in 2017, including the Muhaidib and Aqil families.

The newspaper pointed out that the family members became Maltese citizens last year, although most of them are minors, did not set foot in the Maltese territory.

Since 2014, Malta has launched a controversial investment program to sell its nationality for a payment of 650,000 euros. The Maltese passport allows freedom of movement within the EU because the holder of the passport has automatic European citizenship.

According to the Maltese newspaper, the families of Muhaidib and Aqeel are not only among the wealthiest families in Saudi Arabia, but were included in Forbes magazine's classification of the richest families in the world.

Suleiman Al Muhaidib
Al-Muhaidib Group, established in 1946, is active in the field of building materials and foodstuffs. It is headed by Sulaiman Al-Muhaidib, whose fortune exceeds Forbes 3 billion euros. The Saudi billionaire and 34 of his brothers, wives and family members have the Maltese passport.

Maltese passport allows freedom of movement in all EU countries (Getty Images)

The family of Al-Aqeel, which owns the Jarir bookstore, has a wealth of over 1.5 billion euros. It has 27 Maltese passports. The brothers of Mohammed, Abdul Karim, Abdul Salam, Abdullah and Nasser Al-Aqeel are all controlled by the Jarir Group.

According to the Times of Malta, the list published in the official gazette does not provide information on the amount of money paid by the Muhaidib and Aqil families for the Maltese passport.

The Malta authorities have refused to respond to earlier calls for the details of foreigners who receive citizenship, whether they paid for it or to reveal their full names.

According to the Maltese newspaper, a large proportion of the buyers of the Maltese passport from Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf, as well as citizens of the former Soviet republics.