A number of Russian citizens who have been placed on the EU and US sanctions lists over Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine have obtained Maltese passports under the golden visa scheme.

Source: The Financial Times, citing leaked documents and official data, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Among the individuals identified is businessman Albert Avdolyan, sanctioned by the EU in connection with Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Possession of a Maltese passport allows Avdolyan and others to partially bypass the EU’s entry ban.

Others who reportedly obtained Maltese citizenship include three individuals later sanctioned by the United States and three sanctioned by Ukraine. 

One of them is Evgeniya Vladimirovna Bernova, accused by the US of "deceptively acquir[ing] dual-use equipment" that could be used for military purposes.

Bernova claimed that she "acquired Maltese citizenship pursuant to a thorough and multi-tiered due diligence process" and that she has "genuine links to Malta", including a business that she said is an "actual investment in Malta, and nothing illicit or hidden".

Bernova said that her inclusion on the sanctions list was "misapprehension by US authorities".

The passport holders are part of a broader group of 16 people who successfully paid for Maltese citizenship despite later being sanctioned or convicted of crimes.

At least one of the Maltese passports has since been cancelled.

Leaked documents also show that Russian millionaire Pavel Melnikov obtained a Maltese passport in 2015 and a Saint Kitts and Nevis passport in 2012, both facilitated by Henley & Partners, the private firm that helped design Malta’s golden passport system in 2013.

In 2018, Finnish authorities raided Melnikov’s property in the Turku archipelago, and in February, he was convicted of tax and accounting fraud in Finland. His Maltese citizenship has since been revoked.

Melnikov is appealing the verdict and has stated that he will also challenge the revocation of his Maltese passport.

The Financial Times noted that Malta is the last EU country still offering the purchase of its citizenship. In this regard, the European Commission has filed a lawsuit with the EU Court of Justice to put an end to this scheme.

The Commission argues that the scheme "undermines both the essence and the integrity of EU citizenship". The court is expected to rule on Tuesday.

Malta requires applicants for citizenship to make a one-time investment of at least €600,000, purchase or lease real estate, donate €10,000 to charity and reside in the country for three years. The residency requirement can be reduced to one year for those who invest €750,000.

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