Cape Verde Seizes 21 Apartments and Two Establishments in European Fraud and Money Laundering Investigation

Cape Verdean authorities have seized and taken legal custody of 21 apartments and two commercial establishments, valued at €2.7 million, on the island of Sal, as part of a European investigation into fraud and money laundering that also involves Portugal. The information was released this Friday by the Public Prosecutor's Office.

The searches took place on Tuesday at homes and businesses on Sal Island. A suspect was questioned during the operation, which resulted in the seizure of properties, including 21 apartments and two shops located in a building, with an estimated value of 2.7 million euros.

The operation was carried out at the request of the European Public Prosecutor's Office in Lisbon, as part of the investigation called "Ambrósia", which investigates a fraud scheme valued at 35 million euros, related to products such as olive oil, cooking oil and sugar.

The Public Prosecutor's Office of Cape Verde, the Judicial Police and the Criminal Investigation Department of Sal Island participated in the investigations, accompanied by an analyst from the European Public Prosecutor's Office.

According to the indictment filed in July at the Lisbon Central Criminal Court, the criminal network used falsified documents to simulate transactions and avoid paying VAT, selling products at below-market prices.

Investigations are also taking place in Portugal, Spain and France, with the support of the Portuguese Tax Authority.

So far, three defendants are in pretrial detention and one is under house arrest. If convicted, they could face sentences of up to 25 years in prison. The companies involved risk substantial fines and even judicial dissolution.

The Attorney General's Office of Cape Verde highlighted that this operation is taking place within the scope of international cooperation agreements with Portugal.