The European Union, on Tuesday, began legal proceedings against Cyprus and Malta against the backdrop of programs granting "golden passports" to affluent foreign investors, saying they are illegal.

Cyprus announced last week that it would stop the golden passport program after an investigation by the Al Jazeera network revealed the involvement of Cypriot officials in a scheme that could allow the criminal to buy a European passport through the investment-for-citizenship program that Cyprus has been implementing for years.

The European Commission has written to Cyprus and Malta, which joined the European Union in 2004, to demand clarification on the matter, warning that these programs increase the risks of money laundering, tax evasion and corruption.

European Commission spokesman Christian Wynald said in a press statement that the European Union gave Cyprus and Malta a period of two months to clarify their positions regarding the mechanism of granting citizenship to foreigners that contradicts the rules followed in the European Union.

The UNHCR spokesman added that the union is concerned about calls for Cyprus to re-adopt a similar program after the Nicosia authorities announced that they would end the golden passports program, adding that the Malta authorities had informed that they intend to extend its program.

"The important thing is that no member state adopts a program that fundamentally leads to the sale of European Union citizenship," he told reporters.

European Union passports are valued so much that they give their holders the right to travel, live and work freely in all of the bloc's 27 countries, a right the commission said should be protected.

"The effects of investor naturalization programs are not limited to the member states that adopt them, nor are they neutral with respect to other member states and the European Union as a whole," the Commission said in a statement. "The Commission considers that granting European Union citizenship in exchange for pre-defined payments or investments without any A real link with the member states concerned, undermines the essence of the European Union's nationality. "

Possible fines and


after the two-month deadline has expired, the European Union can refer the file to the European Court of Justice, which may require Cyprus and Malta to pay fines for their programs to grant citizenship to investors that have risks associated with being a cover for money laundering and organized crime, according to a report of the Commission. European year 2019.

And last week, Cyprus announced that, as of next month, it would cancel the program that brought about 7 billion euros ($ 8.25 billion) to the island, after a TV investigation revealed that dozens of those who applied were subject to criminal investigation, international sanctions, or even serving prison sentences. .

As for Malta, which began implementing the program of granting passports in exchange for investment in 2014, last month it arrested Joseph Muscat, director of the former Prime Minister’s office, as part of an investigation into suspicions that he had received commissions related to the naturalization-for-investment program.

The Golden Passport Program in Cyprus provides that the government will be granted passports for an investment of 2.5 million euros (3 million dollars), knowing that Nicosia is currently conducting an audit of all 4 thousand approved files.

Al-Jazeera investigations


Last August, a report by Al-Jazeera revealed the existence of criminal investigations involving dozens of people who applied to obtain Cypriot passports in exchange for investment, international sanctions imposed on them, or judicial rulings issued against them.

More than a week ago, Al Jazeera broadcast its secret investigation "Cyprus Papers ... The Secret Mission", to prove through hidden cameras the involvement of Parliament Speaker Demetris Siloris and Member of Parliament Christakis Giovanni in a scheme that could allow the criminal to buy a European passport through the investment for citizenship program implemented by the country. .

Since Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, holders of a Cypriot passport can travel without a visa to the countries of the Union, and due to the application of the Citizenship by Investment Program of $ 2.5 million, this program has become popular among many criminals and people accused of money laundering, Russians, Ukrainians, and Chinese. And Cambodians.