Vanuatu says it has no plans to revoke Andrew Tate's golden passport after review
The government initially responded to a report that Tate secured a 'golden passport' in December 2022 – the same month he was arrested in Romania for human trafficking and rape charges – by saying it was considering rescinding it.
But Vanuatu government spokesperson Kiery Manassah told The Guardian on Thursday that the country's citizenship office had found no fault with Tate's application and would not rescind his passport.
'They've found the files and according to the records, at the time when Mr Tate was granted the citizenship, he was cleared by Interpol, and the UK, so that was the decision at the time,' he said.
He told the outlet: 'The chairman [of the citizenship office] confirms that the way it is at the moment he [Tate] remains a citizen and for Vanuatu there are no further actions to be taken.'
Mr Manassah admitted that, had they known about the allegations at the time, Tate wouldn't have been granted citizenship.
'If the government had been aware of this at the start, and our processes were working, we should have not allowed him in the first place,' he said. 'We can't just go back and revoke based on information that is discovered later.'
Earlier, an investigation by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) had found that the self-proclaimed misogynist influencer secured a Vanuatu passport through a fast-track investment scheme requiring a minimum outlay of $130,000 (£96,000). Vanuatu doesn't have an extradition treaty with Romania.
The controversial programme has fuelled security concerns and prompted the European Union to revoke Vanuatu's visa-free access in late 2024.
After the report was published by OCCRP, Mr Manassah had told ABC News that they would look into Tate's citizenship application. 'Once we have the files, definitely, the processes will be in place to revoke his citizenship,' he said earlier.
'The government does not want to encourage people of questionable backgrounds to be granted citizenship,' he added. 'Those who are wanted by their countries or who are investigated by police authorities from overseas are not welcome to be part of the citizens of Vanuatu,' he told the outlet.
The Tate brothers, who were raised in Luton in the UK, have been under criminal investigation in Romania since April 2022.
If convicted, Tate's citizenship could still be revoked in the future, Mr Manassah said. 'If he has been convicted then definitely measures to revoke his citizenship, that can be determined later. That would be something the government could consider in future.'
He told The Guardian: 'New regulations have been signed off by the prime minister and the current chairman under [citizenship commissioner] Charles Maniel, is trying to ensure that similar incidents do not happen again and that we our improve our due diligence processes.'
Aubrey Belford, OCCRP's Pacific editor, said the team was investigating Vanuatu's golden passport scheme when they stumbled upon the name Emory Andrew Tate — and then set out to confirm it was the same individual as the controversial online influencer.
'The [golden passport] system has been abused by oligarchs, organised criminals, intelligence agents, and it's caused a lot of alarm because it's one of these loopholes that allows people to get a new passport or even a new identity and be able to evade law enforcement,' he told ABC News.
Former UK home secretary Suella Braverman said in 2023 that close consideration of Vanuatu's golden passports had revealed 'clear and evident abuse of the scheme, including the granting of citizenship to individuals known to pose a risk to the UK'.
Last month, UK prosecutors filed charges against Tate and his brother Tristan Tate for rape, actual bodily harm, and human trafficking, linked to alleged incidents between 2012 and 2015.
Tate also faces an additional charge of controlling prostitution for financial gain.
Both brothers, who hold dual US and UK citizenship, deny all allegations from both Romanian and British authorities.
Jotham Napat, who took office as Vanuatu's prime minister earlier this year, has pledged to overhaul the country's controversial economic citizenship programme — a key source of government revenue.
The pledge followed revelations that Vanuatu had granted a golden passport to fugitive former Indian cricket chief Lalit Modi, who moved to renounce his Indian citizenship after acquiring Vanuatu nationality.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Aussie politician calls out Abbie Chatfield after she suggests 'incels' should harm Donald Trump in shock rant: 'She should be on the watch list'
An Australian politician has slammed Abbie Chatfield after she appeared to suggest 'incels' should harm US President Donald Trump in a wild rant. Ralph Babet, a senator for Clive Palmer's United Australia Party, has called out the former Bachelor star after she posted a video to TikTok which saw her make a gun symbol with her fingers and ask 'when are you going to do it?' Babet reposted the video to his Instagram page and slammed Abbie's 'inappropriate' post. 'Here is an Australian flat out suggesting that the President of the United States should be assassinated,' he wrote. 'This is the woman that Prime Minister Albanese sat down with for an interview. This is beyond inappropriate. DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'The Prime Minister has a lot to answer for as does this woman. She should be on a watch list.' In her video posted to TikTok, Abbie, 30, said: 'Americans, when are you going to do it?' 'Why is it not already done? Every day, there's another [gun symbol] happening and that's awful for your country, right? Why don't we redirect this energy to something else, you know? 'There's all these incels, "no one wants to f**k me", so they go and do [gun symbol]. 'You know what would actually make people respect you a little bit, and maybe want to f**k you? Is if you did it. 'You'd get heaps of fan mail. Oh my God. Oh my God. Just do it. Like, you're all doing it every day anyway. Like, I don't f**king get it.' 'Incel' stands for 'involuntary celibate' and is a term used by a certain group of men who blame their inability to form relationships and have sex on women. Incel groups have been accused of inciting violence and misogyny online. 'The Prime Minister has a lot to answer for as does this woman. She should be on a watch list,' he said 'Abbie Chatfield should be charged for demanding someone assassinate @realDonaldTrump & @AlboMP @AustralianLabor must condemn this vile threatening beast & apologise to the Australian people for associating with it,' wrote one person on social media Many others also flocked to social media to call out Abbie for promoting violence. 'Abbie Chatfield's recent behaviour is deeply concerning - it's not just immature, it's toxic,' one person wrote. 'Abbie Chatfield should be charged for demanding someone assassinate @realDonaldTrump & @AlboMP @AustralianLabor must condemn this vile threatening beast & apologise to the Australian people for associating with it,' another said. 'Abbie Chatfield's alleged comments are highly irresponsible and dangerous, even if made in jest,' a third wrote.
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- The Guardian
New Zealand attorney general warns her government's electoral reform could breach human rights law
New Zealand's prime minister Christopher Luxon has defended his government's plans to overhaul its electoral laws, despite warnings from his own attorney general the changes could breach human rights law and disenfranchise more than 100,000 voters. The right-wing government last week announced its plan to shake up electoral laws it said were 'outdated and unsustainable', including closing voter enrolment 13 days before election day, reinstating a total ban on prisoner voting and prohibiting anyone from providing free food, drink or entertainment within 100 metres of a voting station. Since 1993, voters have been allowed to enrol to vote during the two week advance voting period and, more recently, on election day, casting what is called a 'special vote'. Luxon told RNZ on Monday the late enrolments had led to weeks-long delays in counting votes. 'We want everyone to participate in our democracy … but we need to make sure that people are registered in advance of voting,' he said. But in a report to parliament, the attorney general, Judith Collins, warned the proposal 'appears to be inconsistent' with the Bill of Rights, including the right to vote and the right to freedom of expression. Collins noted that during the 2023 general election, there were more than 200,000 special votes cast, including 97,000 people who registered for the first time during the voting period, and nearly 134,000 people who changed electoral districts during the voting period. 'This gives some indication of the number of people who may be affected, and the farther out the registration deadline from polling day, the greater the disenfranchising impact is likely to be,' Collins said. Changing the enrolment deadline to one to seven days before polling day would 'impose less onerous limits on the right to vote', she said. Special votes are more likely to come from younger people and areas with larger Māori, Asian and Pasifika communities, and these communities may be more affected by the proposed registration deadline, Collins said. With respect to the blanket ban on prisoner voting, Collins said it would disenfranchise those who have a right to vote 'and cannot be justified'. Luxon said the attorney-general has a statutory obligation to examine whether legislation will contravene the Bill of Rights and the government would consider that advice. Collins declined the Guardian's request for further comment. The proposed changes have drawn ire from opposition parties, who believe the government is weakening democracy. 'As a country we should be encouraging voter turnout and making changes to support that – not shutting them out,' said Duncan Webb, Labour's justice spokesperson. 'This is an appalling change that will make it harder for a lot of people to exercise their democratic right.'
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- The Guardian
New Zealand attorney general warns her government's electoral reform could breach human rights law
New Zealand's prime minister Christopher Luxon has defended his government's plans to overhaul its electoral laws, despite warnings from his own attorney general the changes could breach human rights law and disenfranchise more than 100,000 voters. The right-wing government last week announced its plan to shake up electoral laws it said were 'outdated and unsustainable', including closing voter enrolment 13 days before election day, reinstating a total ban on prisoner voting and prohibiting anyone from providing free food, drink or entertainment within 100 metres of a voting station. Since 1993, voters have been allowed to enrol to vote during the two week advance voting period and, more recently, on election day, casting what is called a 'special vote'. Luxon told RNZ on Monday the late enrolments had led to weeks-long delays in counting votes. 'We want everyone to participate in our democracy … but we need to make sure that people are registered in advance of voting,' he said. But in a report to parliament, the attorney general, Judith Collins, warned the proposal 'appears to be inconsistent' with the Bill of Rights, including the right to vote and the right to freedom of expression. Collins noted that during the 2023 general election, there were more than 200,000 special votes cast, including 97,000 people who registered for the first time during the voting period, and nearly 134,000 people who changed electoral districts during the voting period. 'This gives some indication of the number of people who may be affected, and the farther out the registration deadline from polling day, the greater the disenfranchising impact is likely to be,' Collins said. Changing the enrolment deadline to one to seven days before polling day would 'impose less onerous limits on the right to vote', she said. Special votes are more likely to come from younger people and areas with larger Māori, Asian and Pasifika communities, and these communities may be more affected by the proposed registration deadline, Collins said. With respect to the blanket ban on prisoner voting, Collins said it would disenfranchise those who have a right to vote 'and cannot be justified'. Luxon said the attorney-general has a statutory obligation to examine whether legislation will contravene the Bill of Rights and the government would consider that advice. Collins declined the Guardian's request for further comment. The proposed changes have drawn ire from opposition parties, who believe the government is weakening democracy. 'As a country we should be encouraging voter turnout and making changes to support that – not shutting them out,' said Duncan Webb, Labour's justice spokesperson. 'This is an appalling change that will make it harder for a lot of people to exercise their democratic right.'
