Police in Gran Canaria have arrested three people from the island in connection with an organised fraud designed to allow non-residents to obtain registration as residents.
An investigation was launched by Spain’s Border Agency back in March after the authorities in the town of Gáldar reported a rise in suspicious applications for the valuable “empadronamiento” certificate required as proof of residency.
Four properties were identified as being the registered homes of almost 40 people whom neighbours had never heard of or seen in the properties.
Further enquiries helped establish that the beneficiaries lived in Morocco and paid up to 600 euros for fake rental contracts in their name to apply for registration with the town hall.
The all-important document was the starting point for further applications for health cards, Spanish citizenship and even local and state benefits, even though the applicants were not physically present in the country.
The operation led officers to the individuals said to be the local coordinators of the ring, who face criminal charges of document forgery and forming part of an organised gang that aided illegal immigration. The three people arrested are not the owners of the houses used, who were unaware that their addresses were being used for the scam. Some of the properties were in a semi-derelict state, as reflected in photos published by police.
Photo: one of the addresses used for the fake residency contracts (Policía Nacional)
