The Maltese “Golden” passports were sold to the Russian with the links of the Ukrainian war

Russian businessman Albert Evidolian was subjected to sanctions in the European Union due to the Moscow war in Ukraine, but he can partially circumvent the travel travel thanks to the Maltese passport he bought under a “gold” visa plan facing a European court for its future this week.

Avdolyan, who obtained his passport in 2015, is one of seven people who obtained the nationality of Maltese and were later struck by the United States or the European Union or Ukrainian sanctions on Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to the outcome by financial times based on the names that were published in the government newspaper in the country and the western documents.

Among the passports of a group of more than 16 people successfully paid in exchange for Maltese, although they were political individuals, or who later appeared in the penal lists or were convicted of crimes.

Malta is the last country of the European Union that still offers citizenship for sale, and attracts anger from the European Commission, which transferred the country to the European Court of Justice in an attempt to stop the plan.

The committee argued that the plan “undermines both the essence and integrity of the nationality of the European Union.” The court is expected to rule on Tuesday.

The plans that offer citizenship or residence for cash were common in Europe and the Caribbean Sea region for decades, but led to criticism. When the UK canceled its golden visas, she said that the plan had given “opportunities for corrupt elites to reach the United Kingdom.” The European Commission said that such programs constitute “great risks, including corruption, money laundering and tax evasion.”

“It is an insurance policy for some, it’s an exit strategy for some … These plans are very composed for several reasons,” said Eka Rostomashvili from Transparency International. “It opens the doors of the European Union, so not only the doors of Malta.”

Rostomashvili said it was a “trend” in Malta and other countries that offer money for the citizenship that people are submitting to obtain passports “before the penalties are placed directly or before a large scandal was broken and the criminal prosecution begins.”

People who buy Maltese passports become citizens of the European Union with the right to live in the bloc. They can easily open bank accounts and companies in the European Union, and travel to many other countries without a visa.

Apply for citizenship in 2014, avdolyan praised “reliability, security, peace, calm and extinguished people.”

Among those who have received Maltese passports are three individuals who are later undergoing American sanctions on the war in Ukraine, and three others are punished by Kiev.

Among the individuals approved by Evgeniya Vladimirovna Bernova, who accused the United States of “dual use equipment (ing) that can be used for military purposes” on behalf of the Russian final users. “

Bernova said that she “acquired Maltese citizenship in accordance with a comprehensive and multi -level care process” and that she “had real ties with Malta”, including business that she said was “an actual investment in Malta, and nothing is unconditional or hidden.” She said she invested in the production of films on the island, and she also has “deep personal reasons” to pursue citizenship.

Bernova said the list of sanctions was “a misunderstanding by the American authorities.”

At least one of the Maltese passports was canceled later.

In addition to people who have been approved or later convicted, those with paid -paid Maltese also include political figures. Organizers treat the so -called politically exposed individuals as they bear a special danger of corruption.

Three members of the Saudi royal family – Prince Khaled and his sons, Badr and Michel, received Maltese Passports. There was no immediate response to the request to comment from Prince Khaled and his family through their company.

The Maltese government also cleared “Gilberto Eduardo Gerardo Kojwango Terodoro” as a new citizen in 2016, the same name as the current Minister of National Defense of the Philippines. “He was not a Citizen of Malta or Maltia’s passport”, but he refused to comment on whether Tudoro had returned a passport since 2016.

No allegations of corruption were made against the Saudis or Tudoro.

The European Commission said: “The values ​​of the European Union are not for sale. Citizenship plans are invested in violation of the European Union law … they must be canceled.”

Malta requires one -time investment of at least 600,000 euros, either to buy or rent a property, donate 10,000 euros for charities and live in the country for a period of three years. Investment may be reduced to one year for people who invest 750,000 euros.

“As a businessman, it will help a passport contract like my regular flights to Europe and around the world,” said Avdolyan, who owns coal and gas companies in Russia, in his request.

Avdolyan, whose four children and his wife also gained Maltese passports, still can travel to Malta, despite being exposed to sanctions in the European Union in February because of the “providing a large source of revenue” to the Russian government.

The penal lists note that it is “closely related” to the government weapons giant Rostec.

Documents from the Henley & Partners, which were leaked to the project to report organized crime and corruption and its participation with other media, show that Avdolyns received accommodations in 2014 and traveled to Malta four times the following year.

Henley and the implementation of the “Golden” passport system were designed when it started in 2013.

The documents indicate that Avdolyns spent about two weeks in the country, providing hotels and restaurants and reserving private aircraft as a guide. The property they rented – including the “boutique apartment” in Selma on the coast overlooking Valeta – was chosen by Henley, which paid the rent annually and empty the mailbox monthly.

The identity of Malta, the government in charge of approving applications, said that “in principle” has fulfilled all the requirements of the 12 -month residency in Malta. “We refuse to make comments on the points referred to,” said Avdolyan.

Pavel Milnikov, the Russian millionaire, obtained the Maltese Passport in 2015 and a passport from Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2012 with the help of Henley, the leakage of records.

In 2018, the Finnish authorities raided his real estate in the Finnish archipelago in Turku. He was sentenced to tax and accounting in Finland in February. His nationality has been canceled in Malta since then.

Melnikov is active and said that he will challenge the cancellation of his Maltese passport, which he said had happened “without legal reasons.” “Melnikov denied any violations in Finland or anywhere else. He obtained his nationalities based on local legislation and resources, which are not new or unnatural.”

Melnikov said he had his Maltese nationality “only to be able to live and move all over Europe, not to obtain any tax exemptions. The Maltese passport was only legally obtained, following all legal requirements, and not through any criminal plans.”

Another example is Semen Kuksov, who was imprisoned in the United Kingdom last year due to laundering criminal money. The prosecution service in the Crown Prince said that the 24 -year -old was a courier to “raise criminal funds and provide money that is washed abroad.”

Amid the similar disclosure, Cyprus and Bulgaria abandoned passport sales programs under pressure from Brussels. But the Malta government maintains its plan, on the pretext that it tightened due care exams and prevented Russian and Ballen citizens from obtaining its passports.

“What Malta did is a kind of penetration of the European Union,” said Matthew Karawana Galisia, of the Daphny Carwana Gallizia Foundation. “We have created this general in the European Union, and now the member states have started eating (far).”

US President Donald Trump has announced this year’s plans for an American “gold card” of $ 5 million. In Europe, countries like Portugal, Spain and Hungary are still providing cash, but not passports.

The mother of Karwana Galizia Dapni, a journalist who revealed the Gold Passport Emerging Passport scheme in Malta, was killed in a car bomb in 2017. Paul Karwana Gallizia, her son, is now a reporter. The trial of two men accused of being involved in their killing on Thursday in Malta.

The Maltese government did not respond to the request for suspension.

Sarah Niklin, a spokeswoman for Henley & Partners, said she could not comment on individual cases due to the loss of information and data protection. She said that the individual “may pass all the strict due care tests imposed, but he still continues to engage in criminal activity.”

“In fact, Malta asked the applicants to create a place for residence and other actual links to the country … Henley and partners, at all times, it was disposed of by laws and regulations in all the countries in which they work,” she said.

Henley, who previously obtained fees from the Maltese government for every successful request, is one of the many companies that implement the program.

Matthew Karwana Galizia said that the improvement of due care examinations will not suit the scheme, as the problem lies with the people who are drawn for progress. He said: “Not with gradual changes (you can) stop.

Activists fear that ECJ’s rule in favor of Malta can encourage other countries such as Cyprus to revive or open new plans.

“If this happens, we will likely see a race down … in terms of standards, in terms of checks,” says Rostomashvili.

Participated in additional reports Chris Cook in London, Richard Milne in Oslo, Bolina Ivanova in Berlin and Ahmed Omran in Jeddah