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Date Published: 15/06/2022
ARCHIVED - 14 people arrested in Alicante for using fake Ukrainian residency permits
The suspects were rumbled for having no knowledge of Ukraine when questioned by Alicante police
The National Police in Alicante have arrested 14 people accused of falsifying Ukrainian residence permits in order to obtain residency and work rights in Spain. The authorities believe far more individuals are involved in the scam, however, and are trying to locate more people implicated in the operation.
Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, the Spanish government initiated an emergency decree that would give Ukrainian refugees a special protection status, allowing them to live and seek employment in Spain, once they could provide proof of being resident in the war-torn country prior to February 24, 2022.
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While countless displaced Ukrainians have availed themselves of this measure, the documents provided by the Alicante suspects didn’t hold up to scrutiny, and the Kyiv officials quickly confirmed that that the detainees had never resided in Ukraine. Police officers initially rumbled the fraudsters when they couldn’t even give the smallest of details about the country they allegedly heralded from.
The suspects, twelve men and two women aged between 18 and 34 from Morocco, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, were released on bail after giving statements to the Unit against Immigration Networks and False Documents (UCRIF) in Alicante.
Also of interest: Circus monkey rescued in Ukraine finds new home in Alicante
Image: Policía Nacional
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