A woman who served as an administrative assistant in the Municipal Registry of the Gandía City Council until 2007, along with her partner and 82 other individuals, faces charges of forging registration certificates in exchange for monetary compensation in Spain.
According to the Alicante prosecutor’s office, the woman allegedly issued fraudulent documents manipulating the length of stay in the Valencian city of Gandía, extending it by more than three years.
As a local media report, the woman in question made this possible so that the individuals involved could obtain a report on the social roots, which they needed to apply for work and residence permits at the Immigration Office in Alicante.
The public accusation further claims that the woman’s romantic partner operated a mobile phone shop in the Alicante municipality of Gata de Gorgos. At the same time, it is believed that he had connections with individuals seeking these fraudulent certificates and charged varying sums of money to facilitate their receipt.
Spain is one of the countries that frequently faces problems of this nature, with criminal groups providing false documents for immigrants.
In August 2023, the Spanish National Police successfully dismantled one of these criminal organisations, which was mainly focused on supplying forged documentation to migrants in irregular situations within the country.
In this regard, Spain’s Ministry of the Interior pointed out that the primary objective of this group was to aid migrants in obtaining fraudulent work contracts, particularly within the agricultural industry.
The same also offered fake documents or identity misuse with prices of up to €400, especially if the individuals resembled the documents’ original owners physically.
In addition, a total of 22 individuals, including the leaders of the organisation, were also apprehended in an operation carried out in the city of Tortosa. The arrested ones faced a range of charges, including participation in a criminal group, fabrication of false documents, infringement on the rights of foreign citizens, and violations of workers’ rights.
During the same month, in a collaboration operation with the Spanish National Police, Europol led to the arrest of 19 people related to assisting in the transportation of migrants from Spain to Germany and Norway with false documents.
As Europol explains, significant items were also seized, including five vehicles and various mobile and storage devices, such as smartphones, computers, and memory sticks. Furthermore, as part of the operation, about €10,000 in cash and several documents were confiscated.
