Citizenship Offer For Rich Investors Divides Moldova

Parliamentarians in Moldova are involved in a row over amendments to the country's citizenship law, initiated by the ruling pro-European Democrat Party and expected to pass next week - which some say will worsen corruption.

Under the amended rules, investors who want to acquire Moldovan citizenship as a result of their investments will no longer be obliged to learn the official language or study the constitution, as other applicants must do.

The number of citizenships granted to investors and their families will also be increased.

Another important issue is that the presidential decree, which grants Moldovan citizenship for investors, will not indicate their first and last names, so they will remain anonymous.

Some MPs are angry about the proposed changes, saying they will worsen corruption and even undermine security.

On May 24, Roman Botan, head of the parliament's National Security Committee, resigned from his post, protesting that the changes coulds create "risks to national security, but also of corruption".

"Who obtains citizenship: a file or a person? It's strange that it is a matter of classifying those who will gain citizenship by investing. These investments could come from fraud, which would create the premises for legalizing illegal assets," he stressed.

As Moldovan media outlets both expose and critise the plans, talk about adopting the amendments this Thursday was delayed and the item excluded at the last minute from the agenda. It will be discussed in the near future

In September 2017, the government decided that anyone willing to invest at least 250,000 euros could also take out Moldovan citizenship, with a priority for investments in real estate.

However, another issue is who the real owners of...