Cypriot Court Rules Against Chinese CBI Investor in Citizenship Revocation Case

Moustafa Daly
Cairo

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A Chinese man wanted by Interpol for bribery claims Cypriot authorities didn’t notify him of his passport’s revocation, but the court found no ‘irreparable harm.’

The Administrative Court of Cyprus has dismissed a Chinese national’s effort to prevent the revocation of his Cypriot citizenship, which he acquired through the now-defunct citizenship by investment program.

The court ruled that the applicant, who is wanted by Interpol for alleged bribery in China, failed to demonstrate procedural violations or irreparable harm resulting from the government’s decision.

Demetris Demetriades, Managing Partner at Andreas Demetriades & Co, explained that the judgment addressed the applicant’s request for “an interim suspension of the revocation until the court hears the main case.”

He noted that the court found “no legal grounds to issue an interim order,” and the main trial will determine whether “the Council of Ministers’ decision to revoke his citizenship contains legal defects.”

The applicant, whose name is undisclosed, obtained Cypriot citizenship as the dependent spouse of an investor. Authorities revoked his citizenship following a notification from Interpol in 2020, linking him to a bribery case in China that carries a minimum five-year prison sentence.

Cypriot law prohibits criminal offences within ten years of acquiring citizenship, which made the applicant’s alleged actions a clear violation, said Demetriades.

Under Cypriot law, the Minister of the Interior can recommend the revocation of citizenship, typically acquired through naturalization or investment, in cases where it was obtained fraudulently, through false representation, or by concealing material facts.

Procedural Mishap?

The procedure requires the individual to receive written notice of the intention to revoke citizenship, with a 30-day period to submit objections. An advisory committee reviews the case and makes a recommendation to the Council of Ministers, which ultimately decides whether to issue a revocation order.

The applicant in this case argued that the government failed to inform him directly about the revocation decision and his right to appeal, claiming this amounted to procedural illegality.

The court stated that such issues must be resolved during the main trial, which remains pending, not through interim applications. It also ruled that claims of irreparable harm were unsubstantiated, as the applicant had not provided sufficient evidence to support them.

This case forms part of Cyprus’s broader crackdown on abuses within the citizenship by investment program, which operated between 2013 and 2020. A 2025 government review revealed that since 2020, authorities revoked citizenship from 304 individuals due to false declarations or withheld information.

Last month, a Cypriot court allowed rejected applicants to the defunct CBI program to sue the government and challenge its decisions to reject their applications.