Montenegro has eliminated the system of “golden passports” for Russians
The government of Montenegro, under pressure from the EU, is canceling the “economic citizenship” program, despite the fact that it brought the country more than 300 million euros of investment and 70 million euros of income to the state budget.
Montenegro’s “economic citizenship” program expires on December 31, 2022, although many ministers are unhappy with the intention to abolish this type of income, because the amounts mentioned are significant for the impoverished state treasury of Montenegro, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
However, the insistence of the European Union forced the government of Montenegro to stop the sale of passports for money and investments, which has been implemented in this country since 1, from January 2019 next year.
“The economic citizenship project from January 2019 to October 2022 brought Montenegro 310 million euros. Of these, 188 million are in a special account (ESCROW), where money was paid by foreigners wishing to obtain a Montenegrin passport, and the rest was transferred to the accounts of the state and investors implementing development projects in the tourism sector,” write Balkan media based on sources in the Montenegrin government.
The “economic citizenship” program was torpedoed by the government of Dusko Markovic, then vice-president of the Democratic Party of Socialists, led by Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, who has ruled the country in various capacities since 1989.
The Markovic government has committed to ending the program at the end of 2021. However, this did not happen because the government of Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic decided in the last days of last year to extend the program for another year, despite strong opposition from European Commission officials.
In 2022, based on the proposals of the Prime Minister of Montenegro (now in the technical mandate) Dritan Abazović, 393 decisions were made to grant Montenegrin citizenship within the framework of the “economic citizenship” program. It was received by 118 applicants and 275 members of their families (95 spouses and 189 children). In 2021, 264 Montenegrin passports were issued under this program.
Local media have repeatedly written that Montenegrin citizenship by investment was received by “citizens of China, Lebanon, some African and Asian countries, several people from Western Europe, but the majority are citizens of Russia.”
Dritan Abazovic himself previously stated that he signs new applications for “economic citizenship” almost every day, and that for each of his signatures the state receives 250 thousand euros. According to him, "this is a low price for a Montenegrin passport, and that the project would be different if he had developed it."
At the same time, the prime minister said that money laundering or criminals obtaining citizenship through this project is impossible, because everything is checked in detail and much more strictly than with conventional investments.
“Everything is monitored, we get into the essence of the business of these people, their families and all business contacts,” Abazovich said.
However, at the beginning of December 2022, the European Commission threatened to cancel the visa-free regime with Montenegro if the “economic citizenship” program was not completed.
It is worth noting that the Montenegrin authorities, even before the launch of the mentioned program, issued “economic citizenship” to very problematic businessmen and politicians who fled their countries and found refuge in Montenegro, paying large sums for their freedom.
The most famous among them, and the first acquirer of Montenegrin citizenship, is the former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra. At home he is accused of corruption and multimillion-dollar abuses, but in Montenegro he was greeted with special honors.
In addition, the government of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic has provided about 170 passports under special conditions over six years. In particular, Nathaniel James Rothschild, heir to a famous banking dynasty and one of the financiers of the Porto Montenegro project in Tivat, received Montenegrin citizenship.
Как reported “PolitNavigator”, the US State Department spent $50,02 million on “the fight against Russian influence” in Montenegro.
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