The suspects illegally granted loans at exorbitant interest rates. In one case, they kept an apartment valued at R$350,000 to pay off a debt of R$75,000.
An alleged money laundering scheme that reportedly yielded more than 4.2 million euros led the Public Ministry to accuse six people from the same family, in the district of Braga.
According to the DIAP Regional do Porto indictment consulted by , the group had been operating since 2006 and was based in an office in Póvoa de Lanhosowhere granted loans with interest rates considered exorbitant to people in a situation of financial fragility.
Among those accused are a woman, her two sons, her two daughters-in-law and a family friend. were identified 25 victimssome of which ended up losing properties and vehicles as a result of the contracts signed. The suspects reside in Guimarães e Esposendebut it was in Póvoa de Lanhoso that they allegedly started the illicit activity, granting credit without any legal authorization.
According to the Public Ministry, the victims were made to sign debt confessions in which the declared values exceeded the amount effectively lent, already including high interest. In several cases, injured parties surrendered vehicles and mortgages on real estate as collateral. At least six properties would have been in the possession of the accused. In one of the episodes described, a apartment valued at 350 thousand eurosno Funchalwas handed over to pay off a debt of R$75,000.
The process, which analyzed financial movements until 2018, indicates that part of the money was hidden in bank accounts opened in the name of three minor children of the suspects. One of these accounts was created when the child was still a baby and, at the age of 10, it already recorded transactions of around R$290,000.
The first suspicions arose in 2010, after the Tax and Customs Authority detect discrepancies between declared income and expenses of one of the daughters-in-law. Despite having an annual income of just four thousand euros, it recorded expenses exceeding 122 thousand euros and acquired a property worth R$900 thousand.
In addition to the six main defendants, two other suspects and eight companies were accused of money laundering. The Public Prosecutor’s Office requested the seizure of bank accounts and several luxury vehicles, including two Porsche Panamera, a Mercedes CLK, two BMW 3 Series, an Audi A4 and two Volvo V60s.
