Special | Zo komen schimmige miljonairs Europa binnen

Malta, a small island state in the deep south of the European Union. It was known as a beautiful vacation spot. But in recent years it has become the EU's problem son. All because of a new trade that the Maltese government started... ...that has generated hundreds of millions of euros but has many implications. Not just for Malta, but possibly for the entire EU. The Maltese passport trade. This Maltese neighborhood is, curiously, the home of a Russian ski jumper. At least, according to the record. And according to that record, a Russian woman supposedly lives in this town. But her neighbors have never seen her.

Two billionaires supposedly live in this basement. One from Russia and one from the United Arab Emirates. The door has two numbers. But there is no sign of either man. The only window is boarded up. What is happening in Malta? In 2014, his government created a gold mine... ...that allows Malta to earn hundreds of millions of euros each year: the sale of Maltese passports. The sale is legal. Passports are issued by the Maltese government. For around 900,000 euros a buyer can naturalize Maltese. The global business elite is very interested. Malta has sold more than 2,000 passports. After purchasing in Malta... ...you are automatically an EU citizen.

You can travel freely within the EU... ...set up a company or open a bank account. But those rich passport buyers do need one thing: a house in Malta. That is why hundreds of Maltese homes are unoccupied. The Maltese read about the dark side of this trade on a local journalist's blog. Daphne Caruana Galizia has scoop after scoop about the abuse of this trade. Until she herself becomes world news on October 16, 2017... ...for what happened here that day. Daphne Caruana Galizia exposes something that is an open secret in Malta. Hundreds of wealthy foreigners from outside the EU buy Maltese citizenship.

Caruana Galizia obtains a list of the supposed addresses of the new citizens. Two years ago, Daphne and her son were working on a new story... ...when she has to go out on an errand. She takes her car and leaves. Matthew, still at home, hears the explosion. Caruana Galizia's son is convinced... ...that senior government officials are involved... ...in the murder of his mother. The criminal case remains open... ...but the fact is that the passport trade deeply divides Malta. The profits are very welcome for the government. And many Maltese rent flats to billionaires who come from afar. Opponents warn about the implications of this new form of immigration.

Delia knows that these millionaires have a motive: entry into the EU and all the associated advantages. There are strong indications that corrupt Maltese officials... ...are making fortunes from the passport business. Some are in the upper echelons of government... ...or even work in Prime Minister Muscat's office. According to Azzopardi, the influx of euros is the source of many evils. The Maltese government couldn't find anyone to talk to us about this. One thing is clear: Muscat and its government... ...do not plan to end their lucrative Maltese passport trade. Keith Schembri is the highest-ranking Maltese public servant and Muscat's chief of staff.

When his name appears in the Panama Papers... ...Matthew Caruana Galizia writes about his involvement in bribery. Maltese fraud detectives conclude that Schembri receives large sums of money... ...from buyers of Russian passports. The fraud case is a problem for the government. If his right-hand man is corrupt, then what about the prime minister himself? Muscat is accused of having close ties to the sector that makes money from trade. Muscat is responsible for an agreement between his government and Henley & Partners... ...and its Swiss president Christian Kalin. H&P plays a double game. They make millions advising the Maltese government... ...on the sale of passports.

And they make money advising people who want to buy a Maltese passport. For those buyers, H&P organizes tours around the world... ...where Muscat extols the virtues of his passports. Muscat denies all allegations of conflict of interest. And there is no evidence. But, critics say, he is actively protecting himself. This statement seems plausible. The detectives investigating Steve Schembri were fired. His police file is gathering dust. Schembri remains Muscat's chief of staff. When non-Europeans buy a Maltese passport many doors open for them. But that can harm national security. Malta has opened the back door of the EU and in Finland they feel the impact.

A Russian is buying many Finnish islands strategically located off the coast. On Saturday morning he was away from home in the car. In the distance I saw some headlights. I walked over to take a look. Thomas almost never sees strange cars, e

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ly at dawn on Saturdays. I saw two police cars with two police officers in each one. So, I stopped at that very moment. The quiet area around the Willberg farm... ...is used for the largest Finnish military operation since the Second World War. During a police operation two people were arrested in the Turku archipelago. The authorities close part of the airspace, while 400 soldiers and police... ...attack several places simultaneously.

The operation concerns this man who has a Maltese passport. He is rich and over the years he buys a lot of land in the Finnish archipelago of Turku. In total, he buys 15 islands and two former Finnish navy ships. The man bought the Maltese passport from him but he is a native of the neighboring country of Finland. Russian Pavel Melnikov supposedly made his fortune in plumbing. The islands he buys are along sea routes... ...and near Finland's largest naval base. A Russian buying so much land in this area is very suspicious, says Salonius. Melnikov's Finnish agent is a lawyer: Kari Uoti.

He denies any wrongdoing. We sail towards Serkilot, one of the Melnikov islands. The Turku archipelago is a vast area of ​​islands off the southwestern coast of Finland. This area contains sea routes to Finnish ports. And Russia is close. Melnikov built enough accommodation for hundreds of people. Everywhere you look, you see cameras, heat sensors... ...and communications equipment. All of this at the gates of Finland and owned by a Russian with a Maltese passport. Let's return to Melnikov's Maltese passport. The Finnish lead investigator told Nieuwsuur Melnikov that he did indeed use it. 'Melnikov used his Maltese passport to travel.

We are investigating other uses.' Whatever Melnikov's intentions... ...his Maltese passport opens many new doors for him in Finland. Trading Maltese passports or buying Finnish islands... ...doesn't seem to be our business. But in the Netherlands there lives an important man in this profession. He is a professor at the University of Groningen, but has other positions. Professor Dimitry Kochenov has meetings in Rotterdam, Brussels and Minsk... ...but the Russian-born academic happily finds time to talk to us. How long have you lived here? - Almost 20 years. 17 years. I've been here since 2002. And you're Dutch. - Yes of course. His nickname is The Passport Professor.

His impressive CV... ...shows universities from Mexico, the United States, Japan, Italy and Groningen. All over the world he visits conventions where he addresses government leaders... ...and speaks to lawyers and consultants who help wealthy passport buyers. We interviewed him in English. He tells us how he sees the Maltese passport trade. Kochenov's description plays an important role in the Maltese passport trade. When the European Commission asks Malta for clarification... ...the Maltese government asks Kochenov to offer legal assistance. In his advice, Kochenov also gives this specific explanation: potential Malta residents are not required to reside on the island. The government follows Kochenov's advice... ...which is now a factor in the success of the passport trade.

Russians, Chinese and Arabs can become Maltese and EU citizens... ...without moving to Malta. But many Maltese do not like this advice. Is Kochenov right? Is he an academic who simply explains the law? Return to his CV. Until recently, Kochenov was chairman of the Investment Migration Council. This international group promotes the trade of passports and residence permits. Kochenov is the only academic on the council's board of directors. The other members are all from the industry. International lawyers and consultants who advise the super-rich who buy passports. What does the council do? We consulted the registry of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce.

This is an association that is effectively led by Dimity Kochenov. Its main objective: Promote the sale of passports and residence permits. In EU records it is called an industrial pressure group. And on its website the council writes: "...giving the industry a voice." During Kochenov's presidency, the WCC concludes agreements with governments. As recently with Antigua and Barbuda. We asked Kochenov about this. Kochenov writes on his website that he is on the advisory board of Henley & Partners. H&P helped the Maltese government establish its passport business... ...and are still the exclusive advisors to the government when selling passports.

After our interview, Kochenov edited his website. And then there are Kochenov's appearances, talks and advice around the world. From various positions. In Davos he spoke on behalf of his lobby group... ...during a meeting organized by Henley & Partners. This is a session on residence permits in Moscow, organized by Malta. Kochenov speaks as a consultant, but the program calls him professor... ...and shows the logo of the University of Groningen. After our interview we found out more information. Kochenov was paid for his work in Malta. He confirms that he received around 36,000 euros. We see higher rates in documents from the Maltese parliament... ...but Kochenov doesn't know about them, he says.

But there is more. In the Maltese records we find a limited company in Malta which is located... ...in the offices of a law firm engaged in the passport trade. Kochenov is one of the two members of the board of directors of this company. His main activity: 'Promoting awareness about the passport trade.' Although Kochenov is legally responsible for the company... ...he refers us to his co-director when it comes to routine matters. Kochenov is a full-time professor in Groningen... ...and studies the controversial passport trade. He chairs the lobby group for companies that profit from the passport trade.

He is a director of its Maltese subsidiary, which is also involved in the passport trade. On paper, he worked for a company that advises on passport trading. And he was a paid advisor when Malta introduced passport trading. Maltese politicians criticize Kochenov's moonlighting. Now that you've seen the full story, one thing is clear: you like investigative journalism. When you subscribe to our YouTube channel... ...you'll get many more stories like this.