A 52-year-old man was arrested by the Judicial Police (PJ) of Guarda, following an investigation that has been ongoing for several months and involves dozens of complaints. According to Lusa, the suspect was the target of an investigation for alleged irregularities in the exercise of his professional activity.
The detainee worked as an insurance intermediary and, since 2012, he took advantage of the relationship of trust with clients to convince them to invest in financial investments. However, the investments never materialized and the money ended up in another direction.
Losses exceeded €800,000
The Portuguese news agency states that the misappropriated amounts already determined amount to around 800,000 euros. The suspect allegedly received the amounts by promising income through the institutions to which he was linked, but ended up taking possession of the amounts, later dissipating them into family members’ bank accounts.
The investigation began after a complaint related to a loss of around 300,000 euros. As the investigations progressed, the Guarda Criminal Investigation Department identified around two dozen victims, confirming the scale of the scheme.
PJ continues to try to identify victims
The man was detained outside of the act of committing a crime and must be present for the first judicial interrogation to apply coercive measures. According to the same source, the PJ emphasizes that the investigation remains active, seeking “complete clarification of the facts” and the identification of all the victims involved.
The investigation is led by the Public Ministry of Guarda and is expected to continue in the coming weeks with the tracking of financial flows.
Scheme prolonged for more than a decade
According to , the alleged scheme began in 2012 and remained active for more than 10 years. The authorities continue to collect evidence to determine the final destination of the amounts and assess the possible involvement of third parties.
The PJ does not exclude the possibility that there are more injured people, asking that any victims who recognize the way they act contact the authorities.
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