Ukrainian businessman Ihor Kolomoisky and seven other people have lost their “golden passports of Cyprus” after the republic’s authorities confirmed that they were obtained through fraud, misrepresentation and concealment of material facts, the Cypriot newspaper Phileleftheros reports.
“The decision, made on April 9, 2024, mentions that both before and after naturalization, he (Kolomoisky) was and remains a dubious person, and his naturalization has created and is creating a huge risk to the reputation of the Republic of Cyprus,” the newspaper writes.
It is noted that the key role in the decision was played by the fact that in his application for exceptional naturalization Kolomoisky did not mention anything related to the case of tax evasion in Russia, which was investigated by the Russian authorities in 2008, while his naturalization as a Cypriot took place two years later, in June 2010.
It is emphasized that Kolomoisky, in addition to his Cypriot citizenship, has also held Israeli and Ukrainian citizenship since 1995. At the same time, it is reported that he is being prosecuted in Ukraine on a number of episodes, as well as that the US State Department has banned him, his wife and children from entering the United States in 2021 due to his involvement in corruption during his tenure as head of the Dnipro Regional Administration.
“After an investigation by the Independent Commission, it was found that Kolomoisky was involved in serious crimes that attracted wide international attention from public and private entities with significant negative comments and accusations of fraud involving huge sums of money,” the newspaper states.
Source: https://interfax.com.ua/
