London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2025

Cyprus scraps ‘golden passport’ scheme in a blow to rich Chinese nationals

Cyprus scraps ‘golden passport’ scheme in a blow to rich Chinese nationals

An undercover report by Al Jazeera used hidden cameras to show an official and a lawmaker pledging ‘full support’ to granting a passport to a fictitious Chinese investor.

Cyprus on Tuesday scrapped a lucrative programme granting citizenship to wealthy investors, in a blow to rich Chinese nationals in search of European Union passports.

The Cypriot decision comes amid new allegations that a top state official and a veteran lawmaker were implicated in attempts to bypass strict vetting rules and issue a passport to a fictitious investor with a supposed criminal record.

Cyprus government spokesman Kyriakos Koushos said the Cabinet accepted a recommendation by the minsters of the interior and finance to cancel altogether the “golden passport” programme that has netted billions of euros over several years.

Koushos said the decision, which goes into effect on November 1, was based on the Cyprus Investment Programme’s “long-standing weaknesses, but also the abuse” of its provisions.


An aerial view of the Cypriot capital Nicosia on March 13, 2020.


He said the government would in due course look at different ways of attracting foreign investment.

Wealthy Chinese people have long sought EU citizenship by investing in countries that have a “golden passport” scheme, such as Cyprus, Portugal and Malta. A golden visa essentially grants its holder full EU citizenship, and such passports are attractive given the freedom of movement among the nations in the union, and their visa-free status in most countries in the world.

In the decade ending 2018, the EU welcomed more than 6,000 new citizens and close to 100,000 new residents through golden visa schemes, according to Transparency International, a German non-governmental organisation.

In Cyprus, the allegations surfaced in an hour-long undercover report by Al Jazeera’s investigative unit that used hidden cameras to show Parliamentary Speaker Demetris Syllouris and lawmaker Christakis Giovanis pledging “full support” to granting a passport to a fictitious Chinese investor, despite a money-laundering conviction against him.

The report also showed lawyer Andreas Pittadjis, real property agents and others outlining to a man posing as a representative for the Chinese investor different ways to skirt background checks, including a name change or granting citizenship through his wife.

Both Pittadjis and Giovanis strongly denied the allegations, saying they were fully aware that the approach was bogus and that they only played along to extract more information from the “representative” in order to file a report with Cypriot law enforcement authorities.

European Commission spokesman Christian Wigand said the bloc's executive body is looking into launching infringement proceedings against Cyprus.


A woman takes a selfie with one of a number of new high-rises transforming the skyline view, in the southern coastal city of Limassol in the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus in 2018.


“We watched in disbelief how high-level officials were trading European citizenship for financial gains,” Wigand told reporters in Brussels. European Commission “President [Ursula] von der Leyen was clear when saying European values are not for sale.”

Wigand said the Commission had frequently raised concerns about such investor citizenship schemes and also directly with Cypriot authorities.

Outraged Cypriots took to social media to heap scorn on the officials, with many calling for Syllouris’ resignation.

In a statement on Tuesday, Syllouris said that he would step back from his duties as of next week until an investigation is completed.

He apologised for the “unfortunate picture” and upheaval that the “staged and fragmented” report gave and which allowed his reputation and that of the institution of House Speaker to be sullied.

Cypriot officials had earlier accused Al Jazeera of an orchestrated smear campaign against the ethnically split island nation.

The programme has attracted many foreigner investors because a Cyprus passport automatically grants its holder citizenship access to the entire 27-member European Union. Around 4,000 Cypriot passports have been issued to investors under the programme, generating more than 7 billion euros (US$8.25 billion).


An employee of news network and television channel Al Jazeera is pictured at the channel’s Jerusalem office in 2017.


The Cyprus government has conceded that “mistakes” were made and has strengthened eligibility criteria in recent years. The most recent changes that lawmakers approved in August include new anti-money-laundering vetting rules and making it easier to revoke the citizenship of investors involved in, or convicted of, a serious crime.

Despite the stricter rules, the programme continued to be hounded by allegations of corruption, kickbacks and favouritism.

Cyprus’ Audit Office last month urged lawmakers to rethink legislation that empowered the government to grant citizenship to investors’ family members.

Cyprus Security and Exchange Commission recommended last month that authorities revoke citizenship from seven individuals who submitted forged documents in their application.

An independent committee has been set up to probe thousands of applications that were made since 2007. The investment programme had gathered pace after 2013, when a financial crisis nearly brought Cyprus to bankruptcy.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
×