Bulgarian authorities have withdrawn the citizenship of 17 people obtained through the Golden Passport program.
It comes three months after the National Assembly voted to abolish the program.
Caretaker Justice Minister Krum Zarkov identified the people as four Egyptian nationals, four from Russia, four from Kazakhstan, three from China, two from Pakistan and one from Jordan, SchengenVisaInfo.com reported.
In February 2022, the Bulgarian National Assembly modified the law that allowed third-country nationals to acquire citizenship by making a financial investment in Bulgaria.
The vote came after European Union Parliament demanded the program be scrapped after reports of corruption, EU authorities said.
Local media reported that there were several cases where those who obtained Bulgarian citizenship through investment had failed to make the investment.
EU officials called on Bulgaria several times to end the heavily criticized scheme.
The State Agency for National Security was among state institutions carrying out checks according to Zarkov.
“Regarding the members, the families of these individuals are assessed on a case-by-case basis to see if the application for Citizenship was made on an illegal basis. The problem with the golden passports has been resolved,” he said.
The Golden Passport Program of Bulgaria was introduced in 2009, two years after Bulgaria joined the EU, to attract wealthy foreign investors who would financially contribute to the country win exchange for Bulgarian citizenship.
Bulgarian authorities are now investigating the passports granted through the Citizenship by Investment scheme.
Earlier this year, the Prosecutor’s Office began an investigation of the former head of Bulgaria’s investment agency, Stamen Yanev, on charges of criminal inaction.
Last December, authorities in Bulgaria reported that a total of 12 passports granted through the Citizenship by Investment Scheme had been revoked.
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