Portugal police arrest crime ring

9/5/2025 6:38

Portuguese police have

arrested 13 people they believe provided an estimated more than

10,000 foreigners with residence permits and documents allowing

them to stay in Portugal and the European Union in exchange for

bribes, police said on Thursday.



A spokesperson for the Judicial Police force said the bribes

paid to the group, which included a foreign ministry employee,

a lawyer and several entrepreneurs, averaged 15,000 euros

($16,950) per person.



The foreigners paid to obtain bogus labour contracts that

allowed them to stay in the country and then get residence

permits, open bank accounts and access the social security

system. Many of them have since left for other EU member states,

police said.



Portugal's centre-right government has toughened some

immigration rules in the past year, reflecting attempts

elsewhere in Europe to fend off the rise of the far-right, and

on Saturday vowed to deport 18,000 illegal migrants in the

coming months.



It was not immediately clear if those who benefited from the

illegal scheme counted among those.



Still, the country remains relatively open to migrants,

particularly from Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa and

from Brazil. Many experts argue that growing immigration has

stoked economic growth.



While anti-immigration sentiment is expected to play a role

in an early election on May 18, far-right party Chega has been

steady or declining in opinion polls after a surge in the

previous election last year. The centre-right Democratic

Alliance of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro looks set to win the

most votes.