Cyprus revokes passports of Su Haijin and Wang Dehai amid $3b money laundering case
Two men involved in a large-scale money laundering scheme in Singapore have had their Cypriot citizenships revoked. Su Haijin and Wang Dehai were stripped of their Cypriot nationality after being convicted and sentenced by a Singapore court, reported Cyprus news outlet Politis on Aug 4. Originally from China's Fujian province, both men acquired their Cypriot passports under the then-active «citizenship-by-investment» programme, known locally as the «golden passports».«Golden passports» are typically granted by a country in exchange for a significant financial investment, donation, or purchase of real estate.In late 2020, Cyprus terminated its citizenship programme following a report by news outlet Al Jazeera.The report found that among the more than 2,500 individuals who obtained a Cypriot passport between 2017 and 2019, dozens had prior criminal convictions, were facing charges abroad, or were subject to international sanctions.