Al-Lami is considered the most prominent holder of this nationality along with other Iraqi businessmen, but Al-Lami has a different story, as his cross-border relations extended from Iraq to Iran, Syria and then Lebanon, until a woman who claimed to be an employee of the Central Bank of Iraq described him, in a television interview, as "Qassem Soleimani financial" in Iraq.
The documentation suggests that an intermediary with a Dominica passport facilitated a shell company in Hong Kong to transfer funds from Iran to La Liga, potentially skirting financial regulations.
These methods of transferring money illustrate well how passports acquired in places like Dominica can be used to circumvent sanctions and make secret payments.
The EU has raised security concerns about the trade in “golden passports” and vowed to tighten visa controls after revealing five Caribbean states have sold citizenship to 88,000 individuals from countries including Iran, Russia and China.
Caribbean nation Dominica is accused of selling citizenship under its ‘citizenship by investment’ program, which allows the purchase of a passport for a base price of US$100,000, whereas Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit is accused of selling citizenship to oligarchs, officials from repressive regimes, politicians, human rights abusers, drug and weapon traffickers, money-launderers, and notorious criminals.
Thousands of names appear to have not been listed in public records of who has purchased Dominica’s valuable passport.
Investigation raises questions about transparency and governance of $1bn citizenship by investment scheme.
Individuals from Russia, China and Iran are among the newest citizens, for example, of Dominica, courtesy of golden passports. Their places of origin would normally result in them facing strict scrutiny before being allowed to enter most countries, but with the Dominican passport they are able to enjoy visa-free access.
Тhіѕ ѕсhеmе, whісh аllоwѕ glоbаl сіtіzеnѕ vіѕа-frее ассеѕѕ tо 140 соuntrіеѕ, іnсludіng mаnу іn thе ЕU, іnvоlvеѕ рurсhаѕіng Dоmіnісаn nаtіоnаlіtу fоr а mіnіmum рrісе оf $100,000 (£82,000).
Former Afghan spy chief among those to gain citizenship though investment in Caribbean island