Cyprus and others must eliminate the passport black market

‘Investment programmes’ that tie the granting of citizenship to money can never be truly free of corruption. Al Jazeera’s investigation, The Cyprus Papers Undercover, showed how Cypriot authorities were willing to bypass regulations and even break the law to help criminals obtain European passports via the Cyprus Investment Programme. And when Al Jazeera released its investigation and demonstrated that Cyprus has indeed “sold” passports to, among others, convicted criminals and people wanted by Interpol, they barely changed their approach to the issue. In their initial response, Cypriot authorities refuted Al Jazeera’s claims as “propaganda”, with Interior Minister Nicos Nouris arguing they only aimed to damage the country’s economy through “false information”. Following Al Jazeera’s investigation, several Cypriot officials, including Syllouris, resigned from their positions and the government eventually announced its decision to abolish the country’s citizenship through investment programme.