Report: Cyprus’ Archbishop Chrysostomos II supported Jho Low’s application for Cypriot citizenship in 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — Fugitive financier Low Taek Jho wanted in Malaysia over the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal — allegedly received the support from the head of Cyprus’ Christian Orthodox church in his attempt to obtain a passport and citizenship, according to a Cyprus’ leading newspaper.
According to Cypriot daily Politis, Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus had in a September 1, 2015 letter to the then interior minister Socratis Hasikos, expressed his request for Low to be granted a naturalised citizen status through the government-backed Cyprus Investment Programme (CIP).
“His (Low’s) advisers referred him to the Archbishop of Cyprus, assuring him that he had the necessary access to the Anastasiadis government to secure Cypriot citizenship quickly.
“On September 1, 2015, the Archbishop sends a letter to then-Interior Minister Socratis Hasikos and expresses his desire to naturalize Malaysian Jho Taek Low into a Cypriot,” the daily said.
The daily also said while the spiritual relationship between the two men remained unknown, their business relationship was certain as noted in the letter between the archbishop and Hasikos.
According to the report, it claimed that the archbishop then informed the minister that Low would be in Cyprus on September 18 and thus would have the opportunity for a meet to discuss potential investments on church lands.
The archbishop also purportedly requested Hasikos to consider Low’s application prior to the latter’s arrival at Cyprus in a subsequent letter.
It added that a day after the archbishop had penned the letter, a proposal was submitted to the Cabinet on September 11, 2015 and the naturalization of Low was approved unanimously.
However, due to concerns over sensitive personal data, the Cabinet’s decision was not made public, the daily said.
The report also stated that the Cypriot government had in 2014 introduced stricter conditions for exceptional naturalisation amid concerns that the CIP could be abused by irresponsible individuals.
Politis further claimed that Low — who was at that time already on the radar for his alleged involvement in the 1MDB scandal — had his application expedited, thanks to the archbishop’s “blessing”.
The supposed investments on church-owned land did not materialise but it was reported that Low fulfilled the requirements for an interested party to deposit five million euros in a Cypriot bank for three years and buy a permanent home worth at least 500,000 euros.
The daily also said there were serious questions about the five million Euros that Low purportedly invested and how they went into the banking system in Cyprus.
“The investment programme stipulates that all financial transactions required to make the investments (with the aim of exceptional naturalization) should be conducted through Cypriot banking institutions.
“The purpose of this obligation is to ensure that all incoming funds, as well as interested parties, pass the money laundering checks carried out by Cypriot banks,” it said, adding that applicants were required to include copies of remittances in their application.
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