Tate obtained the passport in December 2022 through a programme that allows foreigners to buy citizenship for US$130,000, the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) said in a statement on Monday.
That month, he and his brother, Tristan, were held in Romania where they were charged with rape and human trafficking.
Vanuatu’s passport trade, which also offers applicants visa-free travel to dozens of countries and the right to acquire property, has come under scrutiny over its ties to sanctioned individuals and suspected money launderers.
A government spokesman acknowledged that Tate’s case was a “lapse” in the citizenship-for-sale initiative and pledged to enhance background checks to maintain the “credibility” of the country’s passport.
“We’re definitely looking into it and once we have the files, definitely the processes will be in place to revoke his citizenship,” Kiery Manassah told Australian public broadcaster ABC.
