Oleg Deripaska became a citizen of Cyprus

Last year, billionaire Oleg Deripaska "bought" Cypriot citizenship in a controversial citizenship-for-investment scheme, according to a joint investigation by The Guardian and the Center for Corruption and Organized Crime Research ( OCCRP ).

Details. Journalists claim that they have received documents on which of the foreigners have applied for Cypriot citizenship in recent years - there are more than 400 names on the list, of which almost a third are Russians.

• Deripaska, according to OCCRP, managed to obtain a Cypriot passport in 2017 - and only on the second attempt.
• The first time the billionaire applied for him in 2016. He wanted to take advantage of the then-current collective investment scheme, according to which a group of investors in exchange for citizenship had to invest at least €12.5 million in the Cypriot economy (each - at least €2.5 million). But then Deripaska's application was rejected.
• The Cypriot authorities learned that in 2015 in Belgium, Deripaska was checked for participation in one of the money laundering schemes - the case involved art and other property worth tens of millions of dollars, the investigation said, citing Cypriot documents.
• In the summer of 2016, Deripaska provided a letter from the Belgian authorities stating that the laundering case was archived due to lack of evidence.
• In October of the same year, the Cypriot authorities invited Deripaska to reapply. He did it in March 2017 and it was eventually approved.
• Deripaska's spokesman did not answer questions from OCCRP and The Guardian, but confirmed to RBC that Deripaska had received a second citizenship.

Quote. “The wide range of business interests of Oleg Deripaska implies the need for constant movement around the world. This was the reason for obtaining an additional passport. <...> The presence of a Cypriot passport also does not affect his taxes in any way, since this is determined not by the passport, but by the place of permanent residence and activity, ”said the representative of the businessman.

• Deripaska does not have the opportunity to freely visit the United States. As The Wall Street Journal reported , in 2006, US authorities blocked Deripaska's visa due to suspicions of links with organized crime. The billionaire still does not have a business visa, he denies any connection with crime.
• Along with other participants in the Forbes list, Deripaska entered the "Kremlin list" compiled this year by the US Treasury. His defendants may be under personal US sanctions. In addition, Deripaska collaborated for several years with political strategist Paul Manafort, who later became the head of Donald Trump's campaign headquarters, and is now one of the defendants in the investigation into Russian interference in the American elections.

Cypriot citizenship allows you to travel and work freely within the EU.

• Under the program, which has been in effect since 2013, to receive it, it is enough to buy real estate worth €2 million or invest €2.5 million in local companies or government bonds (before that, it was necessary to invest at least €5 million or as part of a group of investors €12 .5 million).
• After obtaining citizenship, it is enough to appear in Cyprus once every seven years.
• Since 2008, Cyprus has granted citizenship to 1,685 foreign investors - mostly from the CIS countries, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran. Along with them, 1,651 members of their families received citizenship. The total investment of new Cypriots is estimated at more than €4.5 billion.
• The Cypriot passport does not yet give the opportunity to freely visit the United States - now Cyprus is one of the 38 countries that apply for a visa-free regime with the United States.
• Unlike Malta, Cyprus does not officially disclose persons who have acquired citizenship through the so-called "golden visas".

Cypriots in recent years have become Hundreds of wealthy people and politically significant persons from Russia and Ukraine writes in a separate article . , The Guardian

• The citizenship of Cyprus, as it turned out, belongs to the co-owner of the Sheremetyevo airport, Alexander Ponomarenko, also known as the owner of the complex near Gelendzhik, which was called “Putin's palace” in the media.
• And also - with the former senator and owner of the Sintez group, Leonid Lebedev, whose fortune Forbes estimates at more than $ 1.2 billion.
• Dmitry Rybolovlev, the former owner of Uralkali, also holds Cypriot citizenship. Before the collapse of the Bank of Cyprus, he was one of its main shareholders and had big plans for the island.
• The owner of Renova and the president of the Skolkovo Fund, Viktor Vekselberg, who last year became a key shareholder of Bank of Cyprus, almost became a Cypriot. The island offered him citizenship, but the billionaire apparently refused it. At the very least, his representative claims that Vekselberg has only Russian citizenship.

has become another popular place for Russians to obtain a second passport Malta . According to RBC , over the past three years, dozens of Russians and members of their families have become its citizens, including Arkady Volozh and Boris Mints. Even more Russians are concerned about the change of tax residence, which in most jurisdictions is not equal to citizenship.

Irina Malkova