This morning, 14 defendants arrested as part of the European anti-fraud mega-operation learned of the coercive measures in the Porto Criminal Court, with Judge Pedro Miguel Vieira ruling that Max Cardoso, husband of Ana Lucia Matos, will be held in pre-trial detention and forbidden to contact with the other defendants, unlike the host and the seven defendants who remain at large. The remaining suspects are in pre-trial detention.
Models are still barred from contact with the defendants, except for immediate family members, and Max Cardoso must go to prison in the south of the country. All suspects are prohibited from leaving the country without a court order.
The paper handed over by the court speaks of the danger of flight and the danger of interfering with the investigation. All defendants are charged with qualified tax fraud, criminal association, money laundering and document forgery.
On Saturday, the Porto criminal court released the host and seven other defendants.
During the interrogation, the presenter stated that she did not know about the scheme, and showed that she did not understand issues related to VAT. Ana Lucia Matos said her husband told her he was making risky investments but didn’t know exactly what it was about. The model also turned to the judge that she is a mother and has two children.
The group, arrested on November 29 by the judicial police of Porto, has been active since at least 2016 and has always managed to cover up the crimes. Fraud has spread to more than 30 countries and has reached 2.2 billion euros. At stake is a tax avoidance scheme involving the sale of mobile phones and electronic devices.
Author: Tanya Orange
Source: CM Jornal
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