EXCLUSIVE Going by the Malaysian federal constitution and official files in Montenegro, alleged gambling kingpin Paul Phua whom Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had vouched for is technically no longer Malaysian.

 

New evidence pertaining to Phua's wide businesses web in Montenegro and links with top government officials in the small Balkan state show that he took up Montenegrin citizenship.

 

The federal constitution of Malaysia does not allow for dual citizenship, and anyone accepting citizenship of another country automatically loses his or her Malaysian citizenship.

 

According to investigative reports by popular Montenegrin news portal Vijesti , Phua was given a Montenegrin citizenship after being personally recommended to the country’s prime minister, Milo Djukanovic.

 

Phua, who is allegedly a senior member of international triad, received the Montenegrin citizenship because he is a person of “special importance for the state, scientific, economic, economic and other interests of Montenegro."

 

He was awarded Montengerin citizenship between October 2013 and October 2014.

 

"Phua is an untried ambassador [a person who has yet to present his credentials] of San Marino in Montenegro,” reported Vijesti .

 

“On Feb 1, 2011 he received a diplomatic passport of San Marino to become a non-resident ambassador to Montenegro, where he had already developed a business."

 

The report was also published by the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIN) in Montenegro.

 

Malaysiakini last month reported Home Minister Zahid had written a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) clearing Phua of links to the Hong Kong-based 14K triad.

 

Zahid also stated that Phua, who is from Sarawak and facing illegal gambling charges in the United States, was assisting Malaysia in national security projects.

 

San Marino passport

 

Malaysiakini also reported that Phua had high-ranking government connections in many places outside of Malaysia.

 

He held a diplomatic passport as the San Marino non-resident ambassador to Montenegro when he was arrested in US last year, but the San Marino government revoked his ambassadorship days after.

 

Phua's diplomatic passport was revoked on July 16, 2014, according to official appointment and revocation letters from the San Marino government obtained by Malaysiakini .

 

San Marino, a tiny country measuring 61 square kilometres, is a microstate enclave in central Italy.

 

Montenegro, where Phua was posted as a diplomat of San Marino, was part of the former Yugoslavia in southeastern Europe.

 

Vijesti reported that despite being posted to Montenegro as a diplomat, he did not present his credentials to the Montenegrin prime minister.

 

Yet, till today, he is still a Montenegrin citizen due to his business contacts with one Petros Stathis, a Greek who also has Montenegrin citizenship.

 

Stathis was mentioned many times in the FBI-collected evidence, which the bureau is using to charge Phua for running an illegal soccer online betting ring at Caesars Palace, a top Las Vegas hotel.

 

The case is currently pending and Phua is under house arrest in Las Vegas.