The scheme lets people become citizens after paying, buying or renting property of a certain value, and donating to charity.

Malta must end its "golden passport scheme," according to a new ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union.

The European Court of Justice ordered Malta to close its “golden passport” program, the one of the last of its kind in Europe that allows wealthy people to buy EU citizenship, even after the small island country suspended the program for citizens of Russia and Belarus.