Wikipedia

Cyprus Investment Program

The Cyprus Investment Program (CIP) (Greek: Κυπριακό Επενδυτικό Πρόγραμμα, ΚΕΠ) was an immigrant investor program conceived by the Government of Cyprus in order to attract foreign investors in exchange for Cyprus citizenship. Details of the scheme were made public after a leak of documents, the Cyprus Papers, to Al Jazeera which caused a controversy in Cyprus and led to the end of the program.[1]

Background

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The program was initiated in 2007. From 2007 to November 1, 2020 just over 7,000 people received Cypriot citizenship. The minimum investment was 2 million euros and citizenship was extended to the family of the investor as well.[2] In 2013, the required minimum investment for citizenship was lowered from 25 million in 2007 to 2,5 million.[3] Applicants did not need to physically stay in Cyprus or pass a langugage test to acquire citizenship.[3]

Corruption and investigations

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One of the reasons for citizenship by investment is tax evasion and visa free travel.[3][4]

An independent inquiry committee later found that more than half of the passports were wrongly issued.[5][6][7] In 22 August 2022 a report by the Audit Office of Cyprus revealed that the Ministry of the Interior did not disclose required information about applicants to the Council of Ministers, and that the improper granting of citizenship had resulted in recorded losses of €200 million in taxes and €25 million in non collection of fees. Furthermore, investment contracts worth €1 billion had been canceled, while contracts worth €3.5 billion had not yet materialized.[8]

Court cases

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Up to 2024 four court cases have been filled in Cypriot courts.[9]

On 12 September 2022, former House of Representatives president Demetris Syllouris, former AKEL MP and real estate developer Christakis Giovani, as well as lawyer Andreas Pittadjis, and Antonis Antoniou, the executive director of the Giovani Group were brought before the court, facing five counts on two charges - conspiracy to defraud the state, and influencing a public official in violation of the law recognizing the Council of Europe Convention on the Criminalization of Corruption.[10] On 11 October 2023 all charges against Pittadjis were dropped.[11]

The fourth case includes ten defendants, one of them is the former Minister of Transport, Communications, and Works, Marios Demetriades. The defendants face 59 charges, including conspiracy to defraud and corruption. The evidence collected icludes 200 box files, underscoring the extensive investigative work involved. The trial is set to begin on October 30, 2024.[9]

Effects on the local population

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The influx of foreign investors has created a number of problems for the local communities that are priced out from rentals as well as gentrification.[12] Russians have been the top foreign buyers of Cypriot properties.[13] Other studies have shown that there are detrimental effects on the local landscape and environment due to the increase demand of buildings to be sold to foreign investors and especially an increase in inequality between the locals and the rich investors.[14] According to the 2022 Eurobarometer, 94% of the 505 Cypriots surveyed believed corruption to be a widespread problem in the country.[10]

After the imposition of sanctions on mainly Russian companies in the Republic of Cyprus, many investors have moved to the occupied northern part of the island, where there is a growing presence of Russians, 39,000 according to estimates, and Iranians.[15] The area of Trikomo has been especially built up with luxury hotels, apartments and casinos for a foreign clientele including Russians and Israelis, most of the land belongs to Greek Cypriots that were displaced during the 1974 Turkish invasion.[16] The unregulated development has also caused environmental damage to the area, such as the dumping of the waste of these developments on the roadside.[17]

Revocation of passports due to US/EU sanctions

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After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Cyprus revoked the passports of some Russians that were blacklisted in the EU for sanctions.[6] As of January 2023, 222 holders of so-called "golden passports" had had their citizenship stripped.[5] Five "golden passport" holders have been targeted by US sanctions for arms dealing.[18]

Investigations

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Cyprus government investigations

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Journalist investigations

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Unit, Al Jazeera Investigative (2020-10-13). "Cyprus abolishes citizenship through investment programme — Investigation News". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  2. ^ Kambas, Michael (2022-09-12). "Four go on trial for graft over Cyprus passports scheme". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
  3. ^ a b c Langenmayr, Dominika; Zyska, Lennard (2023-05-01). "Escaping the exchange of information: Tax evasion via citizenship-by-investment" (PDF). Journal of Public Economics. 221: 104865. doi:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2023.104865. ISSN 0047-2727.
  4. ^ "Three Russians Who Got Cypriot Passports Charged With Tax Evasion". The National Herald. 1 January 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Cyprus so far strips 222 people of 'golden passports'". AP News. 2023-01-18. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  6. ^ a b "U.S. charges Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska with violating sanctions". in-cyprus.philenews.com. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
  7. ^ "Most Cyprus passports issued in investment scheme were 'illegal' — Corruption News". Al Jazeera. 2021-04-16. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  8. ^ "Σαθρότητα μέχρι τέλους στο ΚΕΠ διαπιστώνει η Ελεγκτική". www.philenews.com. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
  9. ^ a b "Marios Demetriades: Truth and justice always prevail". knews.com.cy. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  10. ^ a b Sayki, Inci. "Four Charged Over Cyprus' Golden Passport Scheme". OCCRP. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  11. ^ "All charges dropped against lawyer in golden passports case". cyprus-mail.com. 2023-10-11. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  12. ^ "Cypriots priced out as Russians, Israelis eye coastal city - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East". www.al-monitor.com. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  13. ^ fm (2023-03-13). "Property sales boosted by Russians". Financial Mirror. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  14. ^ Rakopoulos, Theodoros (2022-06-01). "The Golden Passport 'Russian' Eutopia: Offshore Citizens in a Global Republic". Social Anthropology/Anthropologie Sociale. 30 (2): 161–178. doi:10.3167/saas.2022.300210. hdl:10852/98563. ISSN 0964-0282.
  15. ^ "Growing Russian investment in occupied north raises concerns". in-cyprus.philenews.com. 2024-06-20. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  16. ^ "Reports on Trikomo properties on Greek Cypriot land gather steam". cyprus-mail.com. 2024-01-10. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  17. ^ "Tankers caught dumping raw sewage on ground in Trikomo". cyprus-mail.com. 2024-05-22. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  18. ^ "Five Cyprus Golden Passport Holders Sanctioned for Russian Arms Trading". www.occrp.org. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
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