A total of 304 individuals have been stripped of their citizenships, following a sweeping review of the now-defunct “golden passport” scheme, the government has confirmed.

All those affected had received Cypriot nationality through investment.

But many, officials say, gained citizenship by submitting false declarations or hiding critical information. The group includes 88 individuals registered as investors and 216 of their family members.

So far, formal revocation orders have been signed for 112 people, 33 investors and 79 relatives. Their Cypriot passports and ID cards have already been cancelled.

Government sources said that since March 2023, ministers have held 28 meetings to examine 96 disputed cases.

These involved 28 investors and 68 of their relatives. But only five investors and ten family members from that group have officially lost their citizenships to date.

An additional 69 revocation orders are underway. These concern older decisions taken between 2021 and 2023. They relate to 17 investors and 52 relatives, according to ministry figures.

Authorities found several serious breaches.

Some investors never deposited the required funds. Others claimed they could not travel to Cyprus to finalise documents, in reality, they were under arrest abroad.

In one case, a woman granted citizenship in 2012 as the spouse of an investor had actually divorced him two years earlier.

One of the earliest and most high-profile revocations was that of Jho Low, the Malaysian financier at the centre of the 1MDB scandal. Low received his Cypriot passport in September 2015.

Nearly nine years later, in mid-2024, it was revoked. He is wanted internationally over allegations of embezzling around $4.5 billion.

The revocations are being carried out under article 113 of the population registration law.

Under this law, ministers must notify those affected in writing.

Individuals may appeal to an independent review committee, which examines the case and gives its opinion. Final decisions rest with the cabinet.

Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said every case is being examined carefully. He promised that “any future suspect case will follow the lawful process in full.”

The government, he added, is committed to “safeguarding the integrity of citizenship and the core values of the republic.”

The golden passport scheme was officially scrapped in late 2020 after strong criticism from the European Union and a damning undercover investigation.