Influencer not disqualified from Vanuatu 'golden passport' due to no conviction
Andrew Tate on the "Anything Goes With James English" Podcast in 2021.
Photo:
Anything Goes With James English, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A Pacific editor for the newsroom
that found online influencer Andrew Tate has Vanuatu citizenship
says Tate was not disqualified from getting the "golden passport" because he has not been convicted.
Tate, a self-described misogynist,
faces charges of rape and human trafficking
in both the United Kingdom and Romania.
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) found Tate was granted citizenship in December 2022.
Dan McGarry, an editor with OCCRP, said the passport was issued about 15 days after Tate was detained in Romania.
Tate bought into the "golden passport" scheme, formally known as citizenship by investment, where applicants can be granted Vanuatu citizenship for a minimum investment of $US130,000.
McGarry said the citizenship commissioner - who has been newly appointed in the role - was surprised to find out who Tate was.
"He expressed regret, but at the same time, he said that once a submission has been made, once the application is put to the commission, nothing short of a criminal conviction or false representation on the application itself is sufficient to stop the process," McGarry said.
He said despite the charges, because Tate has not been convicted, "none of that is disqualifying".
"I think if it comes out that there's a conviction that arises, it's possible that his citizenship may be revoked as a result."
Vanuatu passport
Photo:
Andrew Gray
McGarry said there are several reasons why people want a Vanuatu passport, including not for nefarious reasons.
"There is a fairly legitimate argument to be made for citizens of repressive regimes whose travel is restricted by their local authorities."
But for Tate, Vanuatu citizenship could have seemed appealing because there's no extradition treaty between Vanuatu and Romania.
"[Tate's] on the record saying that he has multiple passports and that he prefers to live in places where he can effectively buy his way out of any problem that he's facing.
"However, he's now facing criminal charges in the UK as well. That was just confirmed last week and there is a very long-standing extradition agreement between the UK and Vanuatu, so I'm not sure the passport is going to do what he thought it would do originally."
Citizenship by investment started in 1984 in the Caribbean, with Vanuatu launching its own scheme in 2017.
"It structured it in such a way that it was very easy for people outside of Vanuatu to insert themselves into the process by acting as sub agents, effectively selling citizenship and that made it very lucrative," McGarry said.
Until 2024, Vanuatu citizens had visa-free access to the Schengen area in the EU.
"It made the Vanuatu passport very, very attractive, and the price was somewhat better than some of the earlier programs," McGarry said.
He said citizenship by investment programmes at one point were the single largest source of government revenue in Vanuatu.
"You can imagine how attractive that made it to politicians who had always been very financially limited in terms of delivering programmes for people domestically.
"It's been very, very hard for the government to walk away from it, because there's just so much money to be made."
The Vanuatu Citizenship Commission chairman, Charles Maniel, has told the
Vanuatu Daily Post
it can't carry out any revocation
until allegations are proven by a court of law
.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Cook Islands announces protection zone for migrating Oceania humpback whales
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown arrives at Tuurangawaewae Marae Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ Cook Islands prime minister Mark Brown has announced the creation of a zone to protect the migratory corridors of the endangered Oceania humpback whale. Brown made the announcement at the UN Oceans Conference in Nice, France . "We can apply our traditional Ra'ui practice at ocean scale," Brown told the conference. "Spanning over 400,000 square kilometres, this zone will adapt with the seasons and respond to emerging threats. Its purpose is not only conservation; it is recovery." The Cook Islands set up Marae Moana in 2017 . Brown said Ra'ui To'ora reflects a growing global truth that traditional knowledge and science can work together to shape powerful solutions. "With regional cooperation, this could become the foundation of the Pacific's first transboundary whale corridor. "To support this, we are further exploring the establishment of the Institute of Blue Ocean Sustainability and Science, a national initiative to advance ocean governance, foster applied research, and strengthen partnerships across government, academia, industry, and traditional leadership. "These are not radical ideas; they are overdue. This is sovereignty matched with stewardship." Also, at the Ocean Conference, Tuvalu prime minister Feleti Teo has called for an international treaty on sea level rise . Before the conference, French Polynesia's president, Moetai Brotherson, announced his administration's plan to establish a network of highly protected marine areas (MPAs). The conference wraps up on Friday, Nice time.
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- RNZ News
Funding cut hurting Pacific and Maori students
In Aotearoa New Zealand, education advocates say a government decision to remove special funding for Pacific and Maori students in vocational courses harks back to the days of a one-size-fits all education model. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- RNZ News
NZ: Pacific and Māori student support cut
Photo: RNZ / Ziming Li Education advocates in Aotearoa New Zealand say a government decision to remove special funding for Pacific and Māori students in vocational training harks back to the days of a one-size-fits-all model. The funding cut applies to a per-student subsidy for Pacific and Māori enrolments at polytechnics and private training institutions. Currently, the subsidiary is used to help fund dedicated support services for these students. However, the Tertiary Education Commission - the government agency responsible for distributing - has stated that it is being re-prioritised. Tertiary Education Union national secretary Sandra Grey said the move was a huge step backwards. It also contradicted official advice to vocational education minister Penny Simmonds. A cabinet paper from January advised the government to keep the subsidy, which came out of a fund of about NZ$28 million. Specifically, officials recommended it be kept to help "achieve equitable outcomes" for three groups of learners - Māori and Pacific students, students with low achievement levels, and disabled students. While the funding allocation has remained for students with low achievement levels and disabled students, the money for Pacific and Māori has gone elsewhere. That decision from policy makers, Grey said, further hurt Pacific and Māori students who were already underserved in the New Zealand education system. "What we do know with dedicated funding is that we get positions like a Māori learning support expert who comes in and works with Māori students, or a Pacific staff member who comes in and supports Pacific students," she said. Tertiary Education Union president Dr Sandra Grey Photo: RNZ / Ian Telfer These included initiatives and programmes like provided mentoring, guidance and peer support to Pacific and Māori. "We've seen from history is that when there is no dedicated fund, institutions deprioritise this work because there aren't dedicated funds. They do what they are funded to do," Grey said. "They've [the government] just said: 'It doesn't matter that you're Māori or Pacific. That has no bearing on your learning.' They are wrong. Everything says these students learn better when they have dedicated support from Māori and Pacific staff." The funding cut was indicative of the government's lack of understanding around why a "one-size-fits-all model in education" did not work, she said. At Manukau Institute of Technology in South Auckland, senior lecturer Alby Fitisemanu said the impact of programmes and support services specific to Pacific and Māori was not to be underestimated. Most of Fitisemanu's students were Pacific and Māori. The support services for these students helped ensure they moved beyond enrolment, he said. For example, programmes and support services contributed to student attainment and success, particularly because many Pacific and Māori often felt out-of-place in tertiary institutions, Fitisemanu said. "The problem we're having now is for the Pasifika [students] who are enrolled... very few complete along the journey. And so it's being able to bring in those supports all the way through their journey." Labour's tertiary education spokersperson Shanan Halbert said the funding cut was part of a bigger revamp to the sector where references to the needs of Māori and Pacific students were being removed from education legislation. Alongside that, references to Te Tiriti o Waitangi were also being deleted, he said. It was inconsistent with research on student needs in Aotearoa, Halbert said. "If you look at where Māori and Pacific learners sit in our education system, they have the greatest need, and so the the additional support is required to ensure that they're achieving what they need to. But also that they're that they're staying within the courses until they're completed." Minister Simmonds responded to questions from RNZ Pacific in a statement. National Party MP Penny Simmonds in select committee. Photo: Phil Smith She said the government was working towards "a more streamlined, outcomes-focused approach that supports all learners… through mechanisms that are targeted, evidence-based, and accountable". Simmonds also acknowledged the advice she'd received from education officials, but said the decision to remove the Māori and Pacific enrolment subsidiary had been a Cabinet decision. "The Cabinet collectively agreed that a broader reset of vocational education funding was needed to reduce complexity and ensure every dollar delivers results." When asked where the funding for Māori and Pacific was being directed, she said details were yet to be finalised.
