The PJ held in Caldas da Rainha a 45-year-old foreign citizen suspected of bypassing the French state with the so-called “VAT car” scheme. The suspect would have a “central and operational paper” within a criminal organisation.
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14/10/2026
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Ua 45-year-old man who was being sought in France for the practice of tax fraud and whitening was caught and detained in the Caldas da Rainha, Leiria district.
In a statement sent this Wednesday, October 14, to News to the Minute, the PJ reveals that man, of foreign nationality, is suspected of bypassing the French state, through the so-called “VAT Carsel” scheme.
It also advances the authority that the now held “has played a central and operational role within an organization, managing front companies whose bank accounts were involved in the resale of mobile phone cards and the reception and redistribution of funds”.
The group in question “was dedicated to buying cards from an operator, without VAT, by reselling them to retailers on the black market, thereby causing a huge loss to the State”.
The suspect will now be present at the Coimbra Relation Court for the application of the coercion measures taken as appropriate.