"Russian oligarch wants to become an EU citizen - not a problem. He can even choose to become a Portuguese or better Cypriot? All this is only a matter of money, - writes in the German Handelsblatt Simon Ruich. - 350 thousand. euro must be made by an applicant who wishes to obtain a Portuguese passport. As soon as the money arrived, the buyer can board a private jet and after a few hours get a passport for his second home ".
A study published Monday by the Association for the Investigation of Corruption and Organized Crime (OCCRP), together with Transparency International (TI), shows how much the EU is susceptible to corruption and money laundering. The subject of the study was the so-called "golden visa" program, through which in some EU countries, wealthy investors were sold a residence permit and citizenship, the correspondent reports..
The concept of the "golden visa" has been known for more than 30 years, during which time the global multi-billion dollar industry has grown from it, including in 11 EU countries, for example, in Greece, Austria, Portugal, Hungary and Cyprus. To occupy a privileged place in the list of those entering the country, wealthy people must make large investments in local real estate, companies or government bonds, the article says..
The second or third passport is extremely useful for those who evade taxes and launder money. They need new identification data, loopholes, supportive banks and legal companies, in order to resolve the issue of money of dubious origin, explains the author of the article.
On the trade in passports in Cyprus reported in the autumn of last year edition of The Guardian. According to the documents leaked from the leak, hundreds of wealthy Russians and Ukrainians received the passport from the government in Nicosia, some of whom were suspected of corruption.
Critics of the system of "golden visas" consider it absolutely unfair, because in this way "super-rich" people get what they deny to millions of refugees in distress, the author of the article points out..