The Madeira District Court opened proceedings today against a network accused of forging air travel documents and unlawfully collecting the Social Mobility Allowance at CTT offices, with some of the 42 defendants already admitting to the charges.
The trial, which was attended by 30 defendants, two of whom were in pre-trial detention (one of them due to another case, of domestic violence), took place in an auditorium at the Social Security Institute of the region, in Funchal, as the court is unable to accommodate all those involved in this process.
Some of the defendants gave statements before the panel of judges, chaired by Teresa de Sousa, while others deferred them to later.
This network, made up of alleged forgers, recruiters, and controllers, is accused by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of improperly receiving 529 thousand euros of Social Mobility Allowance, awarded in the form of reimbursement to residents to reduce the price paid for air travel.
At stake are crimes of qualified fraud, falsification of documents, and criminal association.
Of the 42 defendants (which include a company), two are resident abroad, so they have not been notified and will be tried in a separate case.
The first defendant to speak at the trial, ex-girlfriend of the alleged leader of the group, J. Silva, confirmed to the court that she made about 50 withdrawals of reimbursements indicated by that defendant.
The defendant indicated that the love relationship was “troubled,” marked by violent episodes, and that she felt coerced by her then-boyfriend to commit the crimes. According to the woman’s testimony, the ex-partner falsified personal documentation and kept most of the money withdrawn by the other defendants at post offices.
The defendant said that she always gave the money to the defendant, never having kept any amount, admitting only that the compensation she received was in the form of restaurant dinners, gifts, and hotel stays.
She added that the perception that J. Silva, who is in prison on domestic abuse charges, said that she was not sure that he was the leader of the gang.
Two other defendants pleaded guilty to the crimes they were accused of, stating that they had been recruited by another defendant, also in pre-trial detention, L. Vieira.
The two men confirmed that they regularly flew to mainland Portugal; however, at a certain point, their names began to appear on a CTT “blacklist” in the autonomous region, and they were no longer able to receive the amounts for the falsified trips.
This trial stems from Operation ‘Rota do Viajante II,’ an investigation led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (DIAP) in Loures, with support from the Judiciary Police.
With the attribution of the Social Mobility Allowance, residents of Madeira and the Azores can be reimbursed for part of the amount paid for air travel to Portugal and between the two autonomous regions, up to maximum limits defined in each archipelago.
This month, an electronic platform to request refunds came into force, but until now, requests were made at CTT counters.
This could also be the reason there has been a crackdown by the mainland government on who is eligible for Social Mobility Allowances.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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