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Illegal dual citizenships to be revoked
Any dual citizenship awarded without fulfilling the stipulated criteria will be cancelled, Public Order Minister John Amaratunga warned yesterday.
More than 2,000 dual citizenships awarded during the time when the former Government suspended the programme pending policy changes would be reviewed case by case to find out whether the proper process had been followed, he said.
The minister said the inquiries would focus on whether there was any favouritism or fraudulent practices in the award of dual citizenships.Mr. Amaratunga disclosed he was possession of a list of names of those who were awarded dual citizenships without fulfilling the criteria. Ministry Secretary T. M. K. B. Tennekoon said officials responsible for this malpractice would face severe disciplinary action.
He said the new system proposed by the previous Government for dual citizenships would be amended before being implemented. These changes have been sent to the Attorney General’s Department for approval. In the Interim Budget presented by the new Government on January 29, it was announced that the fee for dual citizenship would be increased from Rs. 200,000 to Rs. 500,000.
Mr. Tennakoon said the new policy would come into effect within the next two weeks.