BBC: Cyprus to suspend ‘EU golden passports’ scheme
Satire: The Cyprus Papers
Impact
The findings from the Investigative Unit have made front-page news in many of the world’s most respected newspapers including The Guardian, Mail on Sunday and Daily Telegraph in Britain, India’s Hindustan Times, Le Monde in France, El Pais in Spain, The Australian, The New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today.
Our work has dominated political coverage in South Africa, Namibia, the Maldives and Kenya.
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The Cyprus Papers Undercover
The impact from The Cyprus Papers Undercover was swift and dramatic.
An emergency cabinet meeting was called a day after the documentary aired and the government announced that its ‘golden passport’ scheme would be abolished. The Cyprus attorney general launched three criminal investigations.
Thousands of Cypriots took to the streets calling for resignations of the government officials implicated in the investigation and an end to high-level corruption. Member of parliament Christakis Giovani and president of parliament Demetris Syllouris both resigned from their posts within days.
The European Commission said its members "watched the documentary in disbelief" and launched legal proceedings against Cyprus.
A week later, a debate on citizenship-by-investment schemes was called at the European parliament. A Dutch MEP praised the 'brave journalists' from Al Jazeera for breaking the story.
The investigation had extensive global coverage, including in The New York Times, Economist, The Financial Times and the BBC.
If you're wondering what I'm talking about, you should watch this extraordinary bit of undercover journalism, in which @AlJazeera showed how Cyprus's due diligence was very, well, diligent...https://t.co/ktNVIfQvdA
— Oliver Bullough (@OliverBullough) November 9, 2020
Cyprus to suspend #goldenpassports scheme: good news and excellent job by @AJIunit. But it also exposes the spectacular failure of oversight. National and EU authorities just turning a blind eye. A European ban on #goldenpassports is long overdue. https://t.co/hZZ4Wj1odq
— Sophie in 't Veld (@SophieintVeld) October 13, 2020
The revelations of #CyprusPapers resulted in the small island’s agreement to shutter its “golden passport” scheme.
— Transparency International U.S. (TI US) (@transparencyUSA) October 27, 2020
It also demonstrates the influential role that media plays in the fight against corruption. Amazing work from @AJIunit below ↓ https://t.co/Gw1W75CjK8
In an online poll of Politis readers 70% agree with the end of the #Cyprus passport programme, 73% say Syllouris was the “protagonist” and 60% believe the country is corrupt. #CyprusPapers https://t.co/hOT4y5RzvR
— Fiona Mullen (@FionaMullenCY) October 25, 2020
— george mitides (@GeorgeMitides) October 17, 2020
#CyprusPapers #CyprusCorruption
— Seleucus I Nicator (@SheftaliesG) October 14, 2020
House of Corruption pic.twitter.com/rSBHZIueLn
Astonishing @AJIunit investigation: #CyprusPapers exposing Cyprus’s citizenship through investment programme.
— Duncan Hames (@duncanhames) October 13, 2020
“What all this shows is that it’s not just a few bad apples. It’s the system that is broken beyond repair,” says our colleague Laure Brillaud @TI_EU. #GoldenVisa https://t.co/GBnjf9WTyk
https://twitter.com/f_obermaier/status/1316105975443664896?s=20
What #EU couldn't do for years, @AJEnglish @AJIunit seems to have achieved in months?! After outcry, #Cyprus suspends its citizenship for cash programme that offered #EU passports to all sorts of characters. The power of investigative #journalism https://t.co/lPPdDRUy74
— gabrielabaczynska (@gbaczynska) October 13, 2020
Say no more #cypruspapers pic.twitter.com/p3YZir59RL
— Περτίτζι (@pertitzi) October 13, 2020
Neuer #Leak! Die #CyprusPapers enthüllen eine skrupellose mafiöse Subkultur im EU-Land #Zypern: Hochrangige Politiker helfen Kriminellen dabei, für viel Geld EU-Pässe zu kaufen. Nun braucht’s ein EU-Vertragsverletzungsverfahren! https://t.co/2E7d5Dbmyx pic.twitter.com/Mfe9pswvA2
— Sven Giegold (@sven_giegold) October 12, 2020
-God Can't Protect You, But I Can.#CyprusPapers #blacklist pic.twitter.com/lMrHWbocuM
— Con/nos Vasileiou (@meterizi) October 12, 2020
This sketchy passport fixer guy in the #CyprusPapers sums up why #GoldenVisas & passport schemes are a magnet for corrupt criminals.
— Alex Johnson (@AJBxl) October 12, 2020
It's time to end the sale of EU passports.
Great work @AJIunit! pic.twitter.com/YbkqzuRCNx
