The trial of the group of 17 men, who are accused of 133 crimes of qualified fraud, forgery of documents and possession of a prohibited weapon, was postponed. The beginning of the hearing was scheduled for this Wednesday morning, at the Court of Viseu, but it was postponed because of the strike of court employees.
The next date on the agenda is March 22nd. The start of the trial was postponed as a result of the strike by justice officials that began on February 15 and runs until March 15.
According to the prosecution of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP), the group falsified bank documents to take possession of high-end cars that were for sale on the Internet.
Payments were simulated, through false bank transfer receipts, and the cars were resold, at bargain prices, in Spain.
According to the indictment, the defendants, aged between 22 and 50, made contact with the victims on car sales websites, and used false identification and bank documents to buy cars, namely the Ferrari and Porsche brands, valued at hundreds of thousands of euros. Payments were simulated through fictitious bank transfers, but until the owners realized that no money had entered their accounts, the registration of ownership of the cars was changed.
The fraud claimed victims across the country, but at least six people who were approached by the fraudsters became suspicious and managed to escape.
All vehicles were recovered by the Spanish and Portuguese authorities and handed over to the rightful owners.
Six of the 17 defendants are in custody.
