Goa-Portugal nationality fraud busted in Lisbon, four jailed

THE RING CHARGED ‘CLIENTS’ UP TO 30,000 EUROS PER PERSON FOR FRAUDULENT BIRTH CERTIFICATES THAT ‘PROVED’ A CONNECTION WITH PORTUGAL TO GET CITIZENSHIP

LONDON: Four members of a ring that facilitated acquisition of Portuguese nationality by Indian citizens through fraudulent paperwork and links to the former Portuguese colony of Goa, Daman and Diu have been jailed in Lisbon following a major international operation.

They were given jail terms between three and six years.

Called Livro Mágico (Magic Book), the operation launched in 2013 spanned India, Portugal, the UK, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mozambique, Principe and Cape Verde. Acquiring Portuguese nationality allowed the Indian citizens to migrate and settle in Europe.

Under Portuguese citizenship law, those born in the colony before December 19, 1961, when India liberated Goa from Portuguese rule, can apply for citizenship. The facility, which extends to their children, has been taken up by thousands of people from the former colony in recent years.

INDIAN-ORIGIN BANK STAFFER JAILED IN UK

An Indian-origin employee of Braclays bank who acted as a ‘personal bank manager’ to two money launderers has been jailed for six years and four months for his role in a conspiracy to launder over £2.5 million, which had been stolen using a malware.

Officials said Jinal Pethad, 29, acted as the ‘personal bank manager’ to money launderers Pavel Gincota and Ion Turcan, setting up 105 sham bank accounts for them using false ID documents.

Pethad managed the accounts to ensure that the receipt of the stolen funds was not blocked by the bank’s security processes and that the pair could transfer money between them freely.