Cyprus revoked the citizenship of Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoyskyi and seven other individuals due to discrepancies in their naturalization applications, according to a report from Philenews
The decision, made by the Cypriot Cabinet on 4 September, comes amid allegations of criminal activity against Kolomoyskyi in Ukraine. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) arrested him in 2023 on charges of money laundering and fraud. Kolomoyskyi is accused of embezzling nearly $145 million from Ukraine’s largest private bank and faces additional allegations of conspiracy to commit murder 20 years ago.
The report states that “Kolomoyskyi, the 2nd richest man in Ukraine, was an individual of ‘suspicious character’, as he was referred to, with his naturalisation creating a severe risk of more bad reputation for the Republic of Cyprus.”
The primary reason for revoking Kolomoyskyi’s citizenship, granted in June 2010, was his failure to disclose prior criminal charges.
“Kolomoyskyi failed to report in his application that he had faced criminal charges for tax evasion in Russia back in 2008,” the report says.
In 2023, Kolomoyskyi was arrested by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on money laundering and fraud charges and placed under pre-trial arrest. Additional allegations include embezzlement and conspiracy to commit murder.
In 2021, the US put Kolomoyskyi and his family on a blacklist of no entry, accusing him of corruption and using his position as former governor of the Dnipnopetrofsk Oblast, near the border with Russia, for personal again.
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