Uk could be flooded with criminals due to lax eu rules

The EU’s “Golden Visa” programmes, which grant residency rights and even citizenship to wealthy people who agree to invest a certain amount of money, could lead to an influx of criminals -

it has been claimed. The programmes, which are rolled out in 13 countries, including the UK, have seen Russians close to Vladimir Putin and members of Angola’s ruling elite benefiting -

allegedly. A joint investigation by anti-corruption watchdogs Transparency International and the Organised Crime and the Corruption Reporting Project levied the blame at Cyprus, Malta,

Portugal, Hungary as being particular offenders. Rachel Owens from the charity Global Witness said: “Citizenship and Residency-by-Investment schemes make the EU an easy target for the

corrupt. “Weak vetting creates an open-door policy to criminals who are looking for a luxury lifestyle and a means to evade law enforcement and prosecution in their home country. “This is

not just about the risk of dodgy characters with dirty money hiding out in Austria, Cyprus, or Malta. It’s about the vulnerability of the whole EU. “It’s about the risk of perpetuating

criminality and corruption on our doorstep. The Commission must act.” Cash demands for Golden Visa programmes range from £220,000 to more than £9million with visas granting the right to live

anywhere in the Schengen borderless zone plus easier travel to the US. Casey Kelso from Transparency International said: “Citizenship and residency are among the most valuable assets a

country can offer an individual, but EU member states have not even been applying the same minimum checks that banks are supposed to apply to their high net-worth customers.” The scheme has

been applied in at least 10 European countries which are part of the Schengen free-movement area including Austria, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. Hungary suspended their scheme last year,

while similar programmes are also run in other EU countries outside the Schengen zone, including Britain, Bulgaria and Cyprus. Visas given in a Schengen country allows travel in other EU

states and can even allow visa-free access to the United States. Transparency International’s EU Director Carl Dolan warned: "There is growing concern about the risks these schemes pose

to the integrity of the Schengen area.” And the group’s Advocacy Director, Casey Kelso, said: "It is clear that due diligence procedures in some EU countries, such as Hungary and

Portugal, have not been rigorous enough.” The European Commission is due to publish by the end of the year a report on the so-called golden visa schemes run by EU states. Commission chiefs

say the document will offer "guidance" to EU countries on how to apply the programmes.