Why Igor Kesaev’s “golden passport” of Cyprus was taken away
Island of Exile
The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cyprus has decided to revoke the “golden passport” of yet another Russian oligarch. This is the “tobacco king” Igor Kesayev – he is on the Forbes list of billionaires with a fortune of $5.5 billion. Why did the native of North Ossetia displease the Cypriot authorities?
During the presidency Dimitris Christofias In 2008–2013, anyone with a billion dollars could become a citizen of Cyprus. The “tobacco king” Igor Kesaev he was (and is) a businessman enters in the Forbes top thirty with a fortune of $5.5 billion. Igor Kesaev is the owner of the Mercury group of companies (which manages the Krasnoe i Beloe and Bristol retail chains), co-owner of the largest cigarette seller in Russia (*aggressor country), the Megapolis Group of Companies (which includes the Dixy retail chain), and, of course, has other profitable interests. And the interests in the Cyprus passport are understandable – it is freedom of movement, Europe and entry into European business. Moreover, the “golden passport” was given away almost for nothing – the standard price was “only” €2 million, which is mere pennies for a dollar billionaire. A shop, excuse me, a “citizenship in exchange for investments” program, closed in 2020 – it has attracted too much abuse and criticism. The European Commission has even openly accused Cyprus of “trading in citizenship”, and then people with less than crystal-clear biographies can easily enter the European Union.
Ad hoc committee
Igor Kesaev naturalized on the island May 25, 2012 and, if we are to believe the authoritative local publication CyprusMail, he was mentioned in the “Nikolatos Committee Opinion.” Former Chief Justice Myron Nikolaos headed the investigative team that investigated cases of illegal issuance of “golden passports.” For example, it turned out that an Iranian citizen stole $30 million from the military budget and received a “golden passport” of Cyprus. Well, he could afford it. During the investigation it turned out that out of 6,779 “golden passports” of Cyprus, 770 were issued by mistake, and another 3,500 were received by adult family members of investors who had no legal grounds for this. If you count, it comes out to more than half. What a “window to Europe”.
The findings of the “Nikolatos Special Committee” formed the basis of a criminal case. The former president of the House of Representatives ended up in the dock Demitris Syllouris and ex-deputy Christakis Giovanis. Them presented five charges, the main ones being criminal conspiracy, undermining the authority of the Republic of Cyprus, and violating the Council of Europe Convention on Combating Corruption. They do not admit their guilt, but both have resigned.
For reasons of public interest
Igor Kesayev appears not only in the “Nikolatos Committee conclusion”. Since 2022, he has been a regular on the lists of various Western sanctions. Reasons was called many: Kesaev owned the Degtyarev arms company until at least April 2022, which means he helps forge victory in the SVO; he is a co-founder of the Monolith Foundation, which supports retired FSB officers, and where there is the FSB, there is the hand of the Kremlin; he owns a share in the Sukhoi Attack Aircraft concern. Well, in general, he would be a man, especially one like this…
But still – sanctions are sanctions, it will come with time. It is impossible to quarrel forever, someday you will have to restore relations. But why take away the passport? The arguments “he did not have a seven-year stay in Cyprus”, “naturalization was carried out solely for reasons of public interest” are hard to believe – since 2012 no one has cared about them.
On the island
A very funny story happened to Igor Kesaev. The “tobacco oligarch” acquired… No, not a Cypriot passport. Igor Kesaev went to Finland and bought himself an island there. It was also voiced price of the issue – €700,000. Can you imagine, the country has just joined NATO, and we own an entire island there, and even a helipad. Having learned that “some Russian” has an island, the local Ministry of Defense, of course, immediately reared up. Since 2020, it has not been so easy for Russians to buy even simple real estate in Finland – such transactions require special permission from the Ministry of Defense. But Igor Kesayev managed to acquire an island right away. How? According to the main version, he used a Cypriot passport, and thus bypassed bureaucratic procedures. The very last question hung in the air – is there corruption in the European Union, and if so, which country has the most corrupt government?
By the way
In the company of Igor Kesaev got there another oligarch – Russian-Ukrainian businessman Konstantin GrigorishinThe Council of Ministers of Cyprus is reportedly considering the legality of issuing “golden passports” to another 29 Russians.