SINGAPORE: Two men involved in Singapore’s largest money laundering case, worth over S$3 billion, have been stripped of their Cypriot citizenship.
Cyprus’ Council of Ministers revoked the “golden passports” of Su Haijin and Wang Dehai, according to a 4 August 2025 report in Cypriot daily newspaper Politis.
A golden passport grants citizenship in exchange for a substantial investment or donation.
Cyprus’ citizenship-by-investment programme was cancelled in 2020 following an Al Jazeera investigation that revealed serious lapses in screening applicants.
According to Politis, 88 investors and 218 of their family members have lost their Cypriot citizenship to date.
The report stated that of more than 2,500 people who obtained a Cypriot passport between 2017 and 2019, dozens faced criminal charges, had prior convictions, or were under international sanctions.
Links to Singapore’s money laundering case
Su and Wang were among 10 foreigners arrested in Singapore in August 2023 during a large-scale anti-money laundering operation involving about 400 officers.
The Politis report did not reveal the amounts they invested to obtain Cypriot citizenship.
Citing Cyprus’ Ministry of Interior, Politis said the ministry was informed that the two men were facing criminal proceedings in Singapore.
Following their conviction, their citizenship was revoked. The report did not specify the date of revocation.
Sentences and deportations
In April 2024, Su was sentenced to 14 months’ jail after pleading guilty to money laundering charges and resisting arrest.
He had jumped from the second-floor balcony of a good class bungalow during a police raid.
Wang was sentenced to 16 months’ jail in June 2024 after admitting to one count of money laundering.
Both men were deported in 2024—Su to Cambodia and Wang to the United Kingdom—and barred from returning to Singapore.
The 10 individuals involved in the case, all originating from China, received jail terms ranging from 13 to 17 months.
They collectively held foreign passports from countries including Cyprus, Turkey, Vanuatu, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Cambodia.
Further arrests linked to case
Another convict from the case, Turkish national Vang Shuiming, was arrested in Montenegro in February 2025.
Vang had been deported to Japan after serving his sentence in Singapore.
According to the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Montenegro was expected to extradite Vang to China, where he is wanted for allegedly running illegal gambling operations.
Countries offering golden passports are under growing pressure to abolish such schemes.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has placed Cyprus, Vanuatu, and Saint Kitts and Nevis on a watchlist of at least 14 countries that grant citizenship or residency quickly and with limited checks.
For example, a Saint Kitts and Nevis passport can be obtained in four months for a donation of US$250,000 (S$321,000) or an investment of US$400,000.
The OECD has warned that these schemes are attractive to criminals and corrupt officials seeking to evade justice and launder illicit funds.
High value of Cypriot passports
Cyprus, as a member of the European Union, offered particularly desirable passports.
Holders could live and work in all 27 EU states and travel visa-free to more than 170 countries.
The scheme has previously attracted controversial figures.
Malaysian financier Jho Low, alleged to be involved in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal, was granted Cypriot citizenship in 2015.
His passport was revoked in June 2024.
International bodies such as Interpol, anti-money laundering regulators, and national governments have pushed for tighter controls or outright bans on golden passports.
Bulgaria ended its investor citizenship scheme in 2022, and Ireland announced in 2023 that it would end its golden visa programme.
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