Custody for two women suspected of false registration of thousands of immigrants

A court in Coimbra has ordered two women linked to an accountancy firm to be remanded in custody, and suspended the head of the local tax office from official duties, as all three are suspected of being involved in the fraudulent regularisation of thousands of immigrants.

In addition to pre-trial detention, the two female defendants have been barred from contacting other official suspects and parties involved in the case, while the male head of department at the local tax office has been suspended from his duties and prohibited from contacting official suspects, other parties involved in the case and staff at the tax office. He is also forbidden from entering the tax office.

Coimbra’s Criminal Investigation Court also ordered a fourth suspect – a foreign national –  to periodically report identity and residence to authorities; prohibited him from contacting the other suspects and from leaving the country. He has been ordered to surrender his passport.

The four defendants were rounded up last week as part of Operation “Neblina Atlântica” (Atlantic Mist) – an investigation into a group that allegedly made millions of euros from the fraudulent regularisation of thousands of immigrants, most of whom are now living in other European countries.

The defendants are suspected of offences including forming an organisation to facilitate illegal immigration, facilitating illegal immigration, corruption and money laundering.

At a press conference today, Avelino Lima, head of the PJ’s central regional directorate, said the “Neblina Atlântica” police operation led to the arrest of five people, including a tax official working in the Central region, and the naming of a further 15 official suspects in an investigation that set out to dismantle a group believed to have regularised the status of thousands of immigrants, mainly from Brazil.

A source from the Central Region’s PJ clarified that, although a fifth arrest had been made as part of the operation, this other suspect was detained solely for possession of a prohibited weapon and his arrest has been formalised in a separate case.

During the press conference, Avelino Lima stated that the group operated mainly in the central region, specifically between Cantanhede and Mealhada.

He explained that those arrested had set up a group which acted as a “service provider” to immigrants, posing as a legally operating organisation, charging an upfront fee of €200 for each application initiated.

Depending on the requirements of each case, the group charged additional fees, handling matters such as the creation of tax identification numbers, the registration of employment contracts with companies – “some real, others fictitious” – or even classifying their clients as self-employed workers, issuing self-employment invoices, said Lima.

The “vast majority” of immigrants who paid for these services “are not even in Portugal”, but are mainly living in Belgium, France and Switzerland, he added.

Avelino Lima stated that nearly ten thousand immigrants linked to this group may be involved, but acknowledged that the figure is still being determined – noting that some cases were initiated as far back as 2022.

The director of the PJ’s Central Region warned of the ability of groups such as these to infiltrate state entities – given the financial gains they generate.

Source: LUSA