Vanuatu's government spokesperson, Kiery Manassah, confirmed that the country is not planning to revoke Andrew Tate's citizenship, stating a review found no fault with his documents at the time of granting. Tate obtained citizenship around his 2022 arrest by Romanian authorities on charges including rape and human trafficking. While Manassah acknowledged the program's 'bad reputation' and said Tate wouldn't have been granted citizenship if allegations were known, current law prevents revocation unless he is convicted.
Vanuatu not planning to revoke Andrew Tate’s citizenship, government spokesperson says
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Vanuatu's government spokesperson, Kiery Manassah, confirmed that the country is not planning to revoke Andrew Tate's citizenship, stating a review found no fault with his documents at the time of granting. Tate obtained citizenship around his 2022 arrest by Romanian authorities on charges including rape and human trafficking. While Manassah acknowledged the program's 'bad reputation' and said Tate wouldn't have been granted citizenship if allegations were known, current law prevents revocation unless he is convicted.
Trending- 1 2021: The Guardian detailed Vanuatu's passport sales.
- 2 April 2022: Tate brothers under criminal investigation in Romania.
- 3 December 2022: Andrew Tate granted Vanuatu citizenship; Andrew and Tristan Tate arrested by Romanian authorities.
- 4 December (later): Romanian appeals court said human trafficking case could not proceed, sent back to prosecutors.
- 5 This week: OCCRP revealed Tate obtained Vanuatu citizenship.
- 6 Thursday: Kiery Manassah told The Guardian that Vanuatu is not planning to revoke Tate's citizenship after a review.
- 7 Last week: UK prosecutors authorized 10 charges against Andrew Tate and 11 against Tristan Tate.
- Andrew Tate retains his Vanuatu citizenship.
- Vanuatu government plans to strengthen its due diligence processes for citizenship-by-investment programs.
- Tate and his brother still face charges and potential extradition to the UK.
What: Vanuatu's government has decided not to revoke Andrew Tate's citizenship after a review found no fault with his documents at the time of his application.
When: Thursday (Kiery Manassah's statement); this week (OCCRP revealed Tate obtained citizenship); December 2022 (Tate granted citizenship, arrested by Romanian authorities); April 2022 (Tate brothers under criminal investigation in Romania); 2021 (Guardian investigation into Vanuatu's passport sales); last week (UK prosecutors authorized charges against Tate brothers); December (appeals court said human trafficking case could not proceed).
Where: Vanuatu, Romania, UK.
Why: A government review found that Andrew Tate was cleared by Interpol and the UK at the time his citizenship was granted. While the government acknowledges issues with its 'citizenship-by-investment' program and would not have granted it if aware of current allegations, current regulations do not allow for revocation based on later-discovered information or unproven allegations.
How: The Vanuatu citizenship office reviewed Andrew Tate's documents and records, finding that he was cleared by Interpol and the UK at the time of his citizenship grant. The government spokesperson then publicly confirmed the decision.