Latest news with #IntelligenceOnline
NDTV
3 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
Andrew Tate Got 'Golden Passport' From Vanuatu During Criminal Probe: Report
Controversial influencer Andrew Tate allegedly secured a 'golden passport' from Vanuatu in December 2022, the same month as he was arrested in Romania on charges including rape, human trafficking, and forming an organised crime group. The Pacific island nation's 'golden passport' scheme allows foreign nationals to acquire citizenship through investment. According to a joint investigation by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and Intelligence Online, Tate acquired the passport through Vanuatu's citizenship-by-investment programme, which grants foreign nationals citizenship in exchange for a minimum investment of $130,000 (around Rs 1.1 crore). Tate's Vanuatu passport was reportedly issued in January 2023 while he remained in pre-trial detention in Romania. It is unclear exactly when the application was submitted. Vanuatu does not have a formal extradition agreement with Romania. The Guardian, in a 2021 investigation, raised red flags about Vanuatu's investor citizenship scheme, revealing the programme had issued passports to individuals facing serious allegations, international sanctions, or even arrest warrants. In response to mounting international concerns, the European Union formally revoked Vanuatu's visa-free travel privileges in December 2024. This marked the first time the EU terminated such an agreement over the misuse of an investment-based citizenship scheme. The UK also withdrew visa-free access for Vanuatu passport holders in 2023, citing "clear and evident abuse of the scheme," including the issuance of passports to individuals deemed a risk to national security, Reuters reported. Tate, 38, and his brother Tristan, 36, raised in Luton, UK, have been under investigation in Romania since April 2022. Following their arrest in December 2022, a Romanian appeals court sent the human trafficking case back to prosecutors, citing legal and procedural irregularities. In August 2023, new allegations, including charges of trafficking minors, having sexual relations with a minor, and money laundering, surfaced. Both brothers have denied all charges. The brothers are expected to be extradited to the UK once legal proceedings conclude in Romania. British prosecutors recently confirmed that 10 charges have been authorised against Andrew Tate, including rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking, and controlling prostitution for gain, linked to three alleged victims. Tristan Tate faces 11 charges connected to one alleged victim. Their UK lawyer has said that they intend to return to Britain to defend themselves. The Vanuatu government has faced growing pressure to tighten its citizenship-by-investment programme. Another high-profile case involved Lalit Modi, Indian Premier League founder, who acquired a Vanuatu passport and applied to renounce his Indian citizenship. Following diplomatic pressure from India, Prime Minister Jotham Napat ordered the cancellation of Modi's passport, along with those of three Chinese nationals accused of obtaining theirs fraudulently.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Andrew Tate ‘secured Vanuatu passport when arrested in Romania'
Andrew Tate allegedly obtained a 'golden passport' from the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu the month he was arrested in Romania on charges including rape and human trafficking, it has been reported. The 38-year-old influencer allegedly received the passport through a citizenship-by-investment programme that allows foreign nationals to buy citizenship for $130,000 (£96,000), according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and Intelligence Online. The Guardian detailed in 2021 in a months-long investigation how Vanuatu sold passports – and with them visa-free access to the UK and EU – to thousands of individuals. Buyers included people linked to sanctions, or facing serious allegations, or with warrants out for their arrest. In December, the EU revoked the visa-free travel agreement because of its concerns over the scheme. Tate's citizenship was said to have been granted in December 2022, according to NXT Citizen, the agency that submitted the application, OCCRP reported. That month, Tate and his brother, Tristan, 36, were arrested by Romanian authorities on charges of human trafficking and forming an organised crime group. Andrew Tate was also accused of rape. His passport was issued in January 2023 while he was still being held in pre-trial detention, it has been claimed. The Tate brothers, who grew up in Luton, have been under criminal investigation in Romania since April 2022. It is not clear when Tate applied for citizenship for Vanuatu, which does not have a formal extradition arrangement with Romania. Tate's spokesperson said he would not comment on the Vanuatu reports. The Guardian has also contacted Tate's lawyers in Romania and the US. The Tate brothers have denied the allegations in Romania, and an appeals court said in December that a human trafficking case could not proceed because of legal and procedural irregularities. The case has been sent back to prosecutors. The Tates faced further allegations in Romania last August, including accusations of trafficking minors, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering, all of which they deny. The pair are due to be extradited to the UK after the conclusion of proceedings in Romania. UK prosecutors confirmed last week they have authorised 10 charges against Andrew Tate, including rape, actual bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain. The charges are connected to three alleged victims. Tristan Tate faces 11 charges including rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking; all connected to one alleged victim. They deny the charges. The brothers will return to Britain to defend themselves, their UK lawyer said last week.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
French defence minister to host key European counterparts on Ukraine
France's defence minister is to hold talks next week with counterparts from Britain, Germany, Italy and Poland to discuss support for Ukraine, an aide said on Friday. The ministers from Europe's five main military powers will meet in Paris on Wednesday, a day after France hosts a key meeting of European military chiefs of staff. "In view of a recent American decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine, the ministers will discuss coordinating action of our countries in support of Kyiv," a source close to Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu, asking not to be named, told AFP. "They will also discuss necessary rearmament of Europe and our respective countries, which is essential to guarantee our collective security in the long term." The defence ministers of the five countries previously met in Berlin in November and in Poland in January.0 European countries have been scrambling to boost support for Ukraine as US President Donald Trump pursues direct talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to end Moscow's three-year invasion of Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a defence spending surge and suggested extending France's nuclear deterrent to European partners in response. On Tuesday, France will host talks with military chiefs of staff whose nations are ready to offer Ukraine military support after any peace deal ending the war with Russia, a source close to Macron said. During a televised address on Wednesday evening, Macron confirmed he would receive the heads of the European armies next week. It has not been announced which countries will be represented at those talks. The objective is to discuss a possible deployment of European forces in Ukraine if a peace accord was signed, to guarantee "respect" of a peace deal, he said. - Gabbard due in Paris - US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard would also be in Paris next week to meet the French national intelligence coordinator, a source close to the discussions said, confirming a report on the Intelligence Online (IOL) website. The source did not say what would be discussed. Before she was confirmed last month, Gabbard faced questions over her 2017 meeting with now-deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and her peddling of Kremlin propaganda, particularly false conspiracy theories about the Ukraine war. France on Thursday said Paris was providing military intelligence to Ukraine, after Washington suspended sharing its own with Kyiv. Trump and Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky had a public falling out in the Oval Office last week after which Ukraine's top ally suspended crucial US military aid. CIA director John Ratcliffe said Wednesday the United States had also "paused" intelligence sharing with Ukraine. dla-bur-ah/jj
