Russian businessman who pocketed $6million from a $68million embezzlement scheme allowed to STAY in Britain on a cash-for-citizenship Cypriot passport

Judges found the Home Office's refusal to grant the man, known only as AB, pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme disproportionate on both public security and public policy grounds. A dual Russian-Cypriot national living here since 2003, he bought four properties in Cyprus in 2019 to secure citizenship through its now-defunct citizenship-by-investment scheme without ever living there.

Roughly $68 million was diverted from two companies in about nine months during 2002, the ruling records.

Malta's similar passport scheme was ruled unlawful by Europe's top court, but judges said joining one was not enough.

Home Office 'comes nowhere close' to proving AB poses a present risk of serious offending, the Upper Tribunal concluded.