Portugal is moving quickly to revise the law that allowed oligarch Roman Abramovich to become a citi

Portugal's government has started working on changes to the criteria for granting citizenship to descendants of Jews who were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula 500 years ago.

The new regulations for the law's implementation were issued on March 9 by Portugal's president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

As a counter-measure to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, the majority of European Union countries, as well as the United Kingdom, have cracked down on Russian oligarchs and billionaires who obtained citizenship or residency in their countries under dubious circumstances.

According to Schengenvisainfo news, the amended law on Portuguese citizenship for Jewish descendants would require applicants to prove that they have a "effective connection with Portugal," according to Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs Augusto Santos Silva.

As a result, those seeking Portuguese citizenship as descendants of expelled Jews must show proof of frequent visits to the country or inherited property there, among other things.

The chief rabbi of the Jewish Community of Oporto was arrested for assisting Abramovich in gaining citizenship prior to Portugal's announcement that changes to the law offering naturalization to descendants of Sephardic Jews driven out of the Iberian Peninsula during the Inquisition would be made.

By fLEXI tEAM