Man arrested for extortion of visas for Portugal and Brazil
THE A 34-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday, and is suspected of being part of a group of people who appear on visas from embassies to countries in search of citizens they seek to obtain, promising him in exchange for 600,000 kwanzas (1,388 euros) .
The citizen in question hands over the victims’ passports and part of the money (400 thousand kwanzas or 925 euros) to another member of the network, who, allegedly, would carry out the contacts with the officials allegedly obtaining from the embassies and who would obtain the visa without com with legal procedures.
According to the SIC statement, once the visa is granted, irregularly, it is conditional on giving the victims passports, delivery or payment of 200,000 kwanzas (463 euros).
To four national authorities, documents of suspected nationalities in different passports, 62 receipts for the issuance and mission of national passports, photographs of different and unique nationalities recognized in the names of several citizens, which were seized.
The man will be presented to a court for procedural measures, the investigation continues to determine others involved in the network, adds the SIC, appealing to citizens to use the appropriate mechanisms so that they are seen to prevent this type of crime.
On Friday, the weekly Novo Jornal reported difficulties in responding to visa requests, with the Portuguese consulate in Luanda marking abusive online appointments by travel agencies to intermediaries or clandestine workers, who appropriate the vacancies for later sell.
The procedures carried out by the company VFS Global, by the Portuguese to deal with the scheduling of visas, are made online by the government for visa application applications on the platform of the company VFS Global, while the adjudication of visa applications is made by the consulate.
On March 14, the Portuguese Government accepted Schengen visa applications for Portugal, which had been suspended for two years and are intended for those who intend to visit the country for a period of less than 90 days for tourism or family visit.
In April, according to the Portuguese consul in Luanda, Cláudia Boesch, more than 1,400 visas were granted in Angola, of which more than 1,200 were short-term.
The Consulate General of Portugal in Luanda represents, for visa purposes, eight more countries (Austria, Slovakia, Greece, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Sweden, Norway and Denmark).
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