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Pavel Melnikov, a Russian entrepreneur, acquired both Maltese and St Kitts & Nevis passports with the help of Henley & Partners. Melnikov bought his St Kitts & Nevis passport in 2012, signing his application in June 2012 and receiving confirmed approval for a passport just four months later. Just two years after acquiring a St Kitts & Nevis passport, Melnikov applied to buy a Maltese one.

The English student

In his letter of intent, Melnikov said he was seeking “personal and financial security” which he was unable to enjoy in his homeland of Russia, and that Malta was attractive because his country of residence is non-English speaking and does not provide good facilities for learning the language. English, his letter said, is crucial for his business communications and also for his hobbies, including helicopter piloting.

Absent resident?

As part of his application process, Mr Melnikov bought two properties at Fort Cambridge, a large development in Sliema. It is unclear how much time he spent physically residing there. He was issued with a Maltese passport in 2015 but was then named in a 2016 court case led by Malta's opposition Nationalist Party, aimed at getting passport buyers' names struck off the electoral registry on the basis that they had not resided in Malta for the mandatory previous six months. Melnikov followed the instruction of Henley & Partners' legal team and did not contest the case to have his name removed from the electoral register.

The Maltese citizen in Finland

In September 2018, Melnikov's property in Finland was raided by Finnish police and soldiers. According to the New York Times, this was part of a crackdown on money-laundering and tax evasion. Finland's public broadcaster reported that the searches targetted Airiston Helmi, a real estate firm involved in multi-million euro property transactions. Melnikov was chair of Airiston Helmi at the time of the raid.

‘Genuine links’

We were unable to confirm what genuine links with Malta Mr Melnikov has established since he acquired Maltese citizenship. Attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.