A weathered sandstone building overlooks the Mediterranean coast at the end of a narrow road. The British tourist who answered the door of the third floor apartment had no idea she was staying at the residence of one of the world's wealthiest men.
According to documents viewed by The New York Times, the billionaire and Republican political patron has declared the two-bedroom apartment he rents himself as his address while he works toward becoming a citizen of the tiny island nation of Malta.
Mr. Thiel is in the process of obtaining his third passport as he expands his financial influence over American politics. More than a dozen right-wing Congressional candidates who have decried globalization and pledged to put America first have received millions of dollars in donations from the technology investor.
Mr. Thiel dislikes what he sees as America's decline, railing against bureaucracy and a completely deranged government. He supported political candidates who would push the country in his preferred direction, as well as people who dropped out of school and started businesses.
Mr. Thiel hedges his bets all the time. Mr. Thiel has American and New Zealand passports that would allow him to live in another country. He supports a group that wants to build a city on floating platforms outside the jurisdiction of national governments.
Mr. Thiel declined to comment through his spokesman. He has a net worth of $4.2 billion.
Lawyers and immigration experts said there is no obvious tax benefit for Mr. Thiel to gain Maltese citizenship, even though wealthy Saudi, Russian and Chinese citizens sometimes seek a passport from the island nation for European Union access and to hedge against social or political tumult at home.
It is not clear why Mr. Thiel's residence in Malta is listed as a 185 euro-a- night vacation rental. If you pay more than 500,000 for a passport, Maltese citizenship laws are straightforward, but if you don't have a passport, you can't rent out your official residence.
If his spending doesn't change the country to his liking, he will be able to escape from the United States if he gets a Maltese passport. His husband, Matt Danzeisen, is a director of one of the companies he is a shareholder in.
In the United States, the majority of Mr. Thiel's political donations have gone to two of his friends. Mr. Vance was employed by Mithril Capital. Mr. Masters was in charge of the family office.
The candidates blame globalization and leaders in international affairs for American stagnation. Mr. Thiel spoke at the National Conservatism Conference last year where he said nationalism was a corrective to globalism.
In order for there to be any chance of reversing the wrong direction in which the country has been headed, he wrote in an endorsement. Mr. Masters spent more than 15 million dollars on fund-raising dinners and seminars.
Mr. Masters was the chief operating officer of the company at the time. The spokeswoman for Mr. Masters didn't reply to questions.
Malta, located in the Mediterranean between Europe and North Africa, has been a location for traders for hundreds of years. Since gaining independence from Britain, it has struggled to build a sustainable economy. The island became a member of the European Union.
The Maltese government has found a way to make money selling passports. The country has granted investor citizenship to around 2,000 people in the last four years.
Those offered citizenship on a fast-track route have to pay 750,000 into a government fund and maintain a rental or purchased property for at least five years after they receive a passport. Maltese citizens are no longer required to reside in the country after that.
The passport program is an insurance policy for wealthy individuals where they feel there is a great deal of volatility, according to the former Maltese prime minister.
He said it was simple. The money you pay into the national fund is used for infrastructure and social housing.
The Maltese program can take up to 16 months to complete, according to a consulting firm that helped develop the program.
Many Americans look at that, and of those, a lot are from the tech sector.
The EU criticized the golden passport program. The European Commission referred to the Court of Justice over the program because it was not compatible with the principle of sincere cooperation within the bloc. Maltese officials have said they will fight any legal challenge.
The head of Community Malta, the agency that sells passports, wouldn't say anything about Mr. Thiel's application.
The groundwork for life outside the U.S. has been laid by Mr. Thiel for many years. He got a New Zealand passport after giving 1 million New Zealand dollars to an earthquake relief fund.
He stated in his passport application that New Zealand was the most aligned with his view of the future. Lawmakers were accused of selling citizenship.
Mr. Thiel is laying the groundwork for his business in Malta. According to the firm, he is an investor in a Maltese venture fund run by a german investor.
The spokesman for Mr. Angermayer didn't respond to requests for comment.
Thiel Capital became a shareholder in a Maltese entity through a series of developments. The parent company of Coru is incorporated in London.
Corporate filings show that Mr. Danzeisen and his wife were among the biggest owners of the company. Two former investors said that the start-up needed more funding in the late 2020s but could not agree on how to raise it. The company was placed into administration.
Maltese records show that Mr. Danz and several other investors established a company in Malta. British records show that the company bought the shares out of administration. The records don't show EUM's activities.
EUM is the new owner of Coru. Richard Li, the son of Hong Kong's richest man, Li Ka-shing, is one of the company's shareholders.
People familiar with the process said that Mr. Thiel started exploring Maltese citizenship around that time. He had an agency that answered questions from the Maltese government about his business and political activities by late 2021, according to documents.
There were questions about Mr. Thiel's political activity as well as his role with a data analytic company.
The apartment listed in the Maltese government documents is in the capital city.
On a recent visit to the apartment by a Times reporter, a tourist opened the door and said a family member had booked the flat via a short term rental service. The Times identified a listing for a Seafront Executive Penthouse that used the address of the man who founded it.
The apartment is owned by a Maltese lawyer who works on citizenship applications. The wife of Mr. Zammit was listed as the host.
The billionaire was applying for a Maltese passport, but Mr. Zammit wouldn't say if he had rented the apartment to him. He wouldn't say why the apartment was on the website.
After The Times inquired about the listing, it was no longer available.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
