PJ arrests foreigner in Algarve wanted in Kazakhstan

The Judicial Police arrested, on Wednesday in the Algarve region, a foreigner accused of the crime of qualified fraud, who had an international arrest warrant issued by the judicial authorities of Kazakhstan, revealed the police.

“Between 2019 and 2022, the suspect is said to have devised a scheme, which consisted of the fictitious conclusion of contracts for the supply of sports equipment and uniforms with affiliated organizations, after which the funds allocated were illegally withdrawn and distributed among the members of the criminal group”, writes the press office of the Judicial Police.

According to the investigation, the money was then transferred through intermediaries or issued as dividends, “having caused a loss to the State estimated at around one million and eight hundred thousand euros, at the current exchange rate”.

The PJ adds that these crimes can lead to a sentence of 12 years in prison.

The arrest of the 69-year-old man was carried out by the Criminal Information Unit, within the scope of international cooperation, and the suspect will now be brought before the Court of Appeal of Évora, for the application of a coercive measure with a view to developing the extradition process.