Vanuatu has become embroiled in controversy after giving a "golden passport" to fugitive Indian ex-cricket boss, Lalit Modi.
Mr Modi — no relation to the Indian prime minister — has been living in the United Kingdom since 2010 when he was accused of bid-rigging and taking kickbacks while he was head honcho of the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL).
Last week, the 61-year-old applied to officially renounce his Indian citizenship after acquiring citizenship of the small Pacific island of Vanuatu.
Under mounting pressure, Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat on Monday said he would cancel the disgraced businessman's passport.
But, according to the head of Vanuatu's Citizenship Commission, getting rid of Mr Modi may not be that easy.
What's a 'golden passport'?
Under Vanuatu's "golden passport" system, foreigners can gain citizenship by contributing about $206,000 to Vanuatu: citizenship by investment.
The aim is to incentivise foreign investment into Vanuatu.
Critics of the system say the high price, and the lack of any visa or residence requirements, make it attractive to money launderers and other criminal types.
The European Union suspended its visa-free travel waiver for Vanuatu late last year, noting the security risks associated with holders of its golden passport.
Ni-Vanuatu Pacific policy and development specialist Anna Naupa said new prime minister Napat's 100-day plan included tightening up the citizenship by investment system.
"So this news [about Mr Modi] comes as no surprise, it's consistent with what Napat has claimed he will do," Ms Naupa said.
Mr Napat said citizenship was a privilege that was not afforded to those trying to avoid extradition, citing this as a reason to cancel Mr Modi's passport.
"As prime minister, we will not harbour fugitives or criminals," he said.
"We have zero tolerance for those seeking to use our citizenship program to evade justice."
But the new chair of Vanuatu's Citizenship Commission, Charles Maniel, told the ABC that Mr Modi's citizenship could not be revoked until he had been convicted of a crime.
He said that while his office must comply with the prime minister's instructions, they would need to observe the law.
"At the moment, we're yet to receive evidence from a reliable source that the concerned person is guilty and convicted," he said.
"If that is the case, we will proceed with the revocation process [of his passport], according to the Citizenship Act," he said.
When pressed, Mr Maniel said the commission had not received confirmation from India's courts that Mr Modi had been convicted.
"If we receive allegations against one of our citizens, we need to conduct due diligence," he said.
Who is Lalit Modi?
Lalit Modi, who was born in India's capital to a prominent business family, founded the IPL in 2008, making a brash entrance onto the cricketing scene.
The IPL revolutionised cricket globally, with its player auction system and the emphasis on T20, a faster and more dramatic form of the game.
Mr Modi was credited with bringing serious money and glamour to Indian cricket.
But, in 2010, he was suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), amid allegations of financial irregularities and other misconduct, as the league came under scrutiny for allegedly rigging bids.
The same year, he left India and moved to the UK.
In 2013, the BCCI banned Mr Modi from the organisation's administration for life.
Unlike Vanuatu, Britain does have an extradition treaty with India. But UK authorities have either been unable or unwilling to bring him home, and he has yet to be formally charged with any offence.
Indian media reported over the years that he was continuing a lavish lifestyle in self-imposed exile, posting updates of vacations to the Maldives and Italy, and collecting luxury cars.
Within India, his political connections set off a firestorm, with the national opposition accusing members of the government of having a conflict of interest in this case.
National media outlets reported Lalit Modi's apparent closeness with the Indian foreign minister at the time, with the Interpol chief's brother, and other members of the ruling party.
Mr Modi has continued to maintain that he is innocent of wrongdoing, and that the whole case is a political vendetta.
In a tweet on the social media platform X, he said he was unaware of any extradition proceedings or cases pending in Indian courts against him
Citizenship office aware of allegations
Since the controversy erupted over Mr Modi's Vanuatu citizenship, it has been revealed that Vanuatu's Financial Intelligence Unit last year made the citizenship office aware of the allegations against him.
Despite that, the commission went ahead and approved his application.
Experts think the override is improper.
"It is obviously a concern that the Citizenship Commission isn't taking the advice of the agency whose job it is to screen these candidates," said Pacific policy and development specialist Tess Newton Cain.
Mr Maniel has given reassurances that the circumstances of his predecessor granting the approval will be looked into.
But the commission, the prime minister and experts also blame a lack of coordination between policing agencies for the situation.
In a statement, Mr Napat said that international policing agency Interpol had knocked back the Indian authorities' requests to issue an alert notice for Mr Modi due to "insufficient judicial evidence".
If that alert notice had been approved, Mr Napat said Mr Modi's citizenship would have been automatically denied.
Ms Naupa, the Pacific policy specialist, said the communication problems between national and international authorities were systemic.
"While Vanuatu has done its due diligence in the checks, some of those connections with the international system to convey important information hasn't always been smooth," she said.
"That's something we should be monitoring. The system is in need of strengthening."
Despite all the controversy, Mr Maniel, the chair of Vanuatu's Citizenship Commission, told the ABC there was an upside for Vanuatu.
"When this news appeared on the internet, there was about 15 million views for Vanuatu, so it's a plus for us," he said.
"More people will find out about our country. It also sends a message to the international community that we are serious about this [golden passports] issue."
