Legal service forwards passports probe findings to police

The state Legal Service has forwarded the findings of an inquiry into the citizenship by investment programme to police with instructions to investigate whether any criminal offences had been committed as per its recommendations.

Investigators were also instructed to convey each completed case to the Legal Service so that it could be assessed.

The inquiry found that the interior ministry had ignored the opinion of the attorney-general in 2015 and 2016 that granting citizenships to the families of investors was potentially unlawful and the cabinet was committing offences en masse by approving the applications.

It said 53 per cent of the 6,779 citizenships given were unlawful and said politicians and institutions had political responsibilities while certain applicants and service providers may be held criminally culpable.

According to the report, of the 47 per cent of applications that were lawful, 34 per cent did not satisfy all the criteria.