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The government of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu has denied a media report that it had revoked the citizenship of online influencer and alleged rapist Andrew Tate.
The denial comes after the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Monday that the self-described misogynist had been stripped of his Vanuatu passport, which OCCRP revealed last year had been granted in 2022 under the country’s citizenship-by-investment program.
The chairman of Vanuatu’s citizenship commission, Charlie Maniel, told OCCRP the commission had never made a decision to revoke Tate’s citizenship.
In a statement forwarded to OCCRP by Maniel, the commission said Tate’s citizenship was not revoked because he had not been convicted of a crime. Vanuatu law allows for citizenship to be revoked if someone is sentenced to 10 years or more in prison, the statement said.
“The Commission was informed of [the charges against Tate]; however, it has not made a decision to revoke the grant of citizenship, as there is currently insufficient evidence to support such action based on the Citizenship Office’s records and the recent due diligence information received,” the statement said.
The statement said a review of Andrew Tate’s original citizenship application determined that it met all due diligence and verification checks.
OCCRP previously reported that Tate’s citizenship was granted as part of a scheme that fast-tracks passports in exchange for a minimum investment of $130,000. It was granted around the time of his arrest by Romanian authorities on charges including rape and human trafficking. That case has since collapsed, although Romanian authorities have issued fresh indictments.
Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan are currently being held in a Miami jail while they fight an extradition request from U.K. authorities to face separate charges of rape, assault, and facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Both brothers deny any wrongdoing.
