Financial Crime World

Wanted Fugitives: How Dominica’s Passports Became a Ticket Out of Trouble for Criminals

Dominica’s passports, secured through its citizenship-by-investment (CBI) program, have become a sought-after ticket out of trouble for wanted individuals from around the world. Over the last decade, nearly a dozen people wanted for criminal charges and convictions in their home countries have acquired Dominican citizenship before disappearing from their pursuers.

Key Findings

  • Almost a dozen wanted persons have obtained Dominica citizenship before going on the run from the law.
  • At least one criminal used his Dominica passport to establish companies in the U.K. as recently as last year.
  • Among those who have held Dominican passports while evading their home countries’ authorities are alleged Nigerian Ponzi schemers, a Taiwanese couple wanted over a multi-million-dollar fraud, and a California-based immigration attorney indicted for “large scale immigration fraud.”
  • An Iranian oil seller, Ali Reza Monfared, exploited this loophole, mingling with Dominica’s political elite before being wanted and arrested over embezzlement charges.

Dominica’s Attractive Passports for Fugitives

Dominica’s passports offer significant advantages for those looking to escape the reach of their pursuers. The passports grant travel access to over 130 countries and territories without a visa or with a visa on arrival.

Over the past year, OCCRP, the Government Accountability Project, and multiple media partners have compiled a list of individuals who have bought Dominica’s citizenship, cross-referencing the data against leaked documents, court filings, commercial registries, and other information.

Wanted Individuals with Dominica Passports

Among the wanted individuals who have acquired Dominica passports are:

1. Glory Oseidebame and Muyiwa Charles Folorunso

  • Nigerian entrepreneurs who received Dominican passports in 2017
  • Current wanted for alleged Ponzi schemes offering investments in various fields

2. Mehdi Ebrahimi Eshratabadi

  • Acquired a passport from Dominica in 2015
  • Also obtained a Cypriot passport under the name Tony Newman
  • Currently wanted by Iran to face fraud charges in court and is the subject of an active Interpol Red Notice

3. Prateek Vijay Gupta

  • Indian businessman who obtained a Dominica passport in 2018
  • Wanted by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation for siphoning off hundreds of millions of dollars from loans made by public sector banks

4. Aman Lohia

  • Son of an Indian businessman who obtained a Dominica passport in 2018
  • Fled to Dubai in 2019 with his young daughter, who also held a Dominica passport, amid a custody battle with his wife
  • Brought back to India in 2020 after an Interpol red notice was issued against him

5. Preeti Chandra

  • Wife of Indian real estate promoter Sanjay Chandra, who was convicted last year for money laundering
  • Also convicted last year by a lower court in the same case for helping move her husband’s money overseas
  • Arrested in 2019 while attempting to use her Dominica passport to leave the country, Indian investigators said

6. Roman Viktorovich Vasilenko

  • Vasilenko, who obtained his Dominica passport in 2018, has been wanted by Russia since 2022
  • Founder of Best Way, a consumer cooperative
  • Wanted under Russia’s Criminal Code, but charges were not specified

Dominica’s promise of Opportunities that Transcend Borders

On Dominica’s CBI website, Prime Minister Skerrit promises to offer individuals “citizenship of Dominica — a status that comes with a myriad of opportunities that transcend borders.” Dominican passports can indeed offer fugitives opportunities to operate beyond the reach of their pursuers.

For instance, Mutasem Faouri and his father, who faced charges of abusing their positions at a financial services firm and causing tens of millions in losses to investors in Jordan, had already purchased Dominican citizenship in 2012. Despite facing at least four travel bans and 17 arrest warrants, Mutasem managed to avoid capture and used his Dominica passport as late as 2022 to register companies in the U.K.

The Faouris did not respond to requests for comment.

In 2022, the U.K. revoked visa-free access for Dominican citizens due to concerns about inadequate due diligence checks, new citizens being allowed to change names, and the lack of a residency requirement for applicants.

To counteract these concerns, Dominica has pledged to strengthen its vetting process and increase collaboration with other countries in the region to safeguard CBI programs. However, experts believe that governments must ask more questions about the sources of funds invested and thoroughly screen applicants to prevent such cases in the future.