Local politicians on alert with PJ inspectors traveling to the island. In question investigation into fraud with subsidy that finances air travel.
Contrary to what was reported by several media outlets on Monday, the visit of PJ inspectors to Madeira has nothing to do with the investigation targeting Miguel Albuquerque and other former members of the Regional Government of Madeira.
But the anticipation of a new search operation in the region, carried out following news from the Madeira Newspaper, owned by Avelino Farinha, one of the defendants in the case involving Albuquerque, left local politicians on alert. Only on Tuesday, mid-morning, did they breathe a sigh of relief when they realized that the PJ’s return to the island – 60 inspectors – was, after all, due to the investigation of fraud with the social mobility subsidy – which finances air travel for Madeirans. for the Continent and which will have harmed the public treasury in an amount “in excess of 500 thousand euros”, reads the statement from Operação Rota do Viajante II.
Five defendants were arrested and will appear before a judge at the Loures Criminal Instruction Court in the coming days. At issue is an investigation opened at DIAP in Loures that led the Air Force this Monday to transport dozens of inspectors from the National Anti-Corruption Unit to Funchal to carry out home and non-home searches and detain the five suspects.
The detained defendants allegedly took advantage of the weakness of the verification system associated with the social mobility subsidy to deceive the State and are suspected of having committed crimes of criminal association, qualified fraud, document forgery and money laundering.
“The investigation found that the defendants, with the aim of obtaining large illegitimate economic benefits, and knowing the weaknesses in confirming the plane trips actually taken, decided to devise a criminal plan with the aim of being compensated through the social mobility allowance” relating to to “hundreds of non-existent trips presented for reimbursement, with an estimated undue reimbursement value of more than half a million euros”, reads the PJ statement.
“The plan involved recruiting residents of the Autonomous Region, who were provided with documents necessary to withdraw this subsidy and previously falsified, such as airline tickets, tickets and reservations, invoices and receipts, which, accompanied by elements of the criminal network, presented forged documentation at CTT stations on the Continent and, thus, received reimbursement from the State”.
36 search warrants were executed in Madeira, Lisbon and Loures.
But the anticipation of a new search operation in the region, carried out following a report from Jornal da Madeira, owned by Avelino Farinha, one of the defendants in the case involving Albuquerque, left local politicians on alert.
Tags: News anticipated searches Madeira Media
