Latest news and stories about immigration fraud in Portugal for expats and residents.
The court postponed from today until 25 May the decision regarding a network that allegedly used false addresses in Penha de França, Lisbon, to facilitate the legalisation of immigrants, a judicial source told Lusa today.
The alleged leader of the network confessed to having provided his address for compatriots from Bangladesh to legalise their status, but claimed he did not know it was a crime.
A network is accused of using false addresses in the Penha de França neighbourhood.
Two footballers cleared the defendants and blamed a deceased former official. The judge stated that she felt the witnesses were “tense” during the trial.
The scheme's objective was to remove people from Angola, ensuring their entry into the Schengen Area via Portugal.
Between May 2024 and March 2025, the defendant personally accompanied trips from Luanda to Lisbon, using forged documents and other people's identities. She charged up to 8,000 euros per service.
The network operated from Rua do Benformoso, in Martim Moniz, and legalised immigrants using fake employment contracts.
The Lisbon Public Prosecutor's Office has indicted 15 defendants, six of which are companies. They were creating fake contribution records for the Social Security system.
The Portuguese Public Prosecutor's Office has charged 15 individuals and six companies in a scheme that facilitated illegal immigration by falsifying employment contracts. The operation, called 'Contrato Formoso,' uncovered a network led by Mustafiz Sairniabat, based in Lisbon, which charged migrants around €6,000 for fake documentation and work contracts. Sairniabat allegedly received nearly €449,000 from 2020 to 2025 through these services. The scheme involved creating false employment records, recruiting vulnerable Portuguese citizens to sign fake residence attestations for small payments, and establishing fake companies to legitimize the process. The network's activities resulted in the legal legalization of thousands of migrants using fraudulent documents, highlighting a significant immigration fraud operation in Portugal.
