Cyprus Mail 27 November 2019 - article by Evie Andreou
Jho Low
Reports on Wednesday confirmed Malaysian Jho Taek Low and eight Cambodians closely connected to the country’s authoritarian regime are among the holders of the 26 passports the government said earlier this month it intends to revoke.
Daily Politis revealed the names of the passport holders who are under scrutiny and who stand to lose their Cypriot citizenship.
Jho Taek Low, who received a Cypriot passport in 2015 and is wanted by Malaysia in connection with financial crimes, is on the list as well as eight Cambodians, top officials of the authoritarian regime and their families.
These include Im Paulika and her husband Aun Pornmoniroth who is Cambodia’s finance minister and Choeung Sopheap and her husband Lao Meng Khin, who is an MP. The list also includes Cambodian leader Hun Sen’s niece Hun Kimleng and her husband who is Cambodia’s national police chief and their two daughters.
The list also includes three Russians over which issues have arisen concerning financial matters, the paper reported. To the list were also included their spouses and children who also obtained passports. These concern Vladimir Stolyarenco, his wife and daughter, Alexander Bondarenko, his wife and two sons and Oleg Deripaska, his son and daughter.
Chinese national Zhang Shumin, reportedly linked to a gold scam, his wife and three children are on the same list as well as Kenyan Humphrey Kariuki Ndegwa, believed to be involved in a financial scam and his wife.
The government announced earlier in the month it would start procedures for the revocation of the passports granted to 26 people after the uproar caused by recent revelations that among the successful applicants were a Malaysian wanted by his country in connection with financial crimes as well as relatives and allies of the Cambodian authoritarian leader.
The 26 had all been granted citizenships up to 2018, prior to the introduction of stricter eligibility procedures for applying for citizenship. They will have the right to file an appeal.
