Publico reported on Wednesday that Roman Abramovich is not the only Russian oligarch that obtained citizenship through the Jewish Law of Return. The billionaire Andre Rappoport has also received a Portuguese passport.
Russian oligarch Andre Rappoport received his Portuguese passport on December 30, 2019, after being certified as a Sephardic Jew by the Israeli Community of Porto (CIP).
With a 1.2 fortune evaluated by Forbes, Rappoport was born in the ex-soviet republic of Ukraine in 1963. In the 90s, he managed Alfa-Bank, and in the early 2000s, he supervised the state energy companies in Russia, eventually becoming president of the Federal Grid Company.
Six years later, Rappoport took over Energostroyinvest-Holding, at the time the largest construct of electric grids in Russia. He sold his company to Abramovich.
Abramovich also received a Portuguese passport through the Jewish Law of Return in 2015.
Russian oligarch and ex-vice-president of the World Jewish Congress, God Nisanov, and Lev Leviev, known as the “king of diamonds,” are awaiting their Portuguese naturalization.
Nisanov was honored in July of 2014 by Putin at the Kremlin with the Order of Friendship. He requested naturalization through the Jewish Law of Return in Portugal on June 26, 2020.
What is the Jewish Law of Return in Portugal?
Under the Jewish Law of Return, the Portuguese government grants Portuguese citizenship through naturalization to the descendants of Portuguese Sephardic Jews who were expelled from Portugal during the Portuguese Inquisition.
By January 2022, there were over 50,000 cases granted, with around 80,000 pending. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich got Portuguese citizenship through this law.
How to Get Portuguese Citizenship
