A leaked proposal to sell Tongan citizenship for investment—projected to raise up to US$400 million over five years—has become a central issue in next week’s prime ministerial election, reviving concerns over past passport scandals and exposing divisions over the nation’s economic future.
Tonga’s 26-member Parliament will elect a new Prime Minister next week, in a contest now influenced by the apparent involvement of noble MP and Legislative Assembly Speaker Lord Fakafanua in the passport investment proposal. His potential candidacy has surprised observers, as nobles have not participated in premiership elections for the past three governments—a situation previously linked to the King’s reported advice for them to step back.
Lord Fakafanua did not respond when asked by Kaniva News whether he intends to stand in the upcoming Prime Ministerial election.
The citizenship by investment (CBI) plan, designed and promoted by the prominent investment migration firm Henley & Partners, would allow foreigners to obtain Tongan citizenship through a substantial financial contribution. The document indicates that the cost of Tongan citizenship for a single applicant is set at USD$190,000, while a family of two to four members would pay USD$220,000. The payment is described as a non-refundable contribution to a government fund or a donation to a charity.
Lord Speaker Fakafanua argues the plan offers a vital solution to chronic budget deficits and donor dependency. However, critics warn the proposal could repeat past mistakes, pointing to passport sales in the 1980s that involved international criminals and generated US$26 million — funds that were later lost in a failed investment scheme in the United States.
Global Firm, Local Lobbying
According to the leaked documents obtained by Kaniva News, lobbyists for the scheme appear to have held meetings with senior royally appointed officials from September 2023 through May 2025.
These included Tonga’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Va’inga Tone, former Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku, Speaker Lord Fakafanua, and the Attorney General.
A senior official told Kaniva News on condition of anonymity that Lord Fakafanua and lobbyists approached the Eke Cabinet with the proposal and also lobbied ministers individually in an attempt to secure approval, but the plan was ultimately rejected
“My involvement was to introduce a potential solution to governments over reliance on aid dependency, budget deficit and lack of foreign investment opportunities for Tonga,” Lord Fakafanua told Kaniva News.
“The government is over reliant on overseas donor support to balance its budget each year. Unless the government diversifies its revenue sources the future of our finances is uncertain.”
The Lord Speaker said Henley & Partners was introduced to him by a senior councillor. After reviewing the firm’s work, he presented it to successive governments. He acknowledged that the term “passport” sale is politically sensitive, particularly given past Tongan passport scandals, but insisted the new proposal — co-designed with the government — is fundamentally different.
“This scheme has the potential to bring financial independence,” he said, citing potential investments in health, education, crime prevention and infrastructure.
“There is an opportunity to alleviate the local tax payers and lift the population from poverty and hardships.”
The proposal includes safeguards such as rigorous multi-layer vetting, depositing all funds into government accounts, and revoking citizenship for false applications, Lord Fakafanua said.
A Troubled Global Track Record
Henley & Partners’ involvement has raised eyebrows, given its central role in CBI programs now under global scrutiny.
The firm helped establish Malta’s “golden passport” scheme, ruled illegal by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) this year.
The ECJ ruled on April 29, 2025, that Malta’s CBI scheme was illegal and incompatible with EU law, as it commodified citizenship without requiring a genuine link to the country. Henley & Partners was the sole marketing agent for the program and generated significant revenue from it. It opposed the ECJ decision, arguing that it lacks a strong legal basis and reflects a misunderstanding of the socio-economic role of investment migration.
The CBI program also reportedly processed applications for individuals such as fugitive Jho Low, who is accused of embezzling $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, enabling him to obtain a passport from Cyprus.
Low also obtained economic citizenship from St. Kitts and Nevis in 2011 though he never visited the island; the passport was later revoked in 2018. He used these ‘golden passports’ to facilitate international travel and evade capture while implicated in the multi-billion-dollar fraud.
In the Pacific, Henley & Partners managed Nauru’s Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program (NECRCP), launched in November 2024 during the COP29 climate conference. The firm was appointed as the official agent to design, administer, and promote the program, aimed at attracting investment for climate adaptation initiatives.
Previously, in 2003, Nauru faced strong criticism over its former passport investment scheme’s weak vetting process, which reportedly allowed criminals—including individuals linked to al-Qaeda—and politically exposed persons to obtain passports.
Vanuatu operated a similar passport investment scheme, though not managed by Henley & Partners. The European Union revoked visa-free access for Vanuatu passport holders, citing serious security risks from its ‘golden passport’ program. The scheme lacked adequate vetting, resulting in citizenship being granted to criminals, sanctioned individuals, and those listed by Interpol, posing significant threats to EU security despite years of dialogue and partial suspensions.
Ghosts of the Past
The ongoing debate over Chinese influence in Tonga’s Nukuʻalofa central business district is rooted in the former passport sale program, which allowed more than 400 Chinese citizens to purchase Tongan passports and settle in the country during the early 1990s.
Those documents were also reportedly used for drug smuggling and international travel by figures, including members of the ousted Marcos family of the Philippines.
Anonymous critics cited this history to Kaniva News, warning that without ironclad transparency and governance, any new program risks repeating these failures and threatening regional security.
The proposal, while actively lobbied for, has not been approved by successive cabinets.
Its fate now rests with the incoming government, making the election a de facto referendum on a policy that promises financial independence at the risk of national reputation and integrity.
