A 45-year-old Portuguese citizen, wanted by Venezuelan authorities, was apprehended by the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) on Monday in Ribeira Brava, Madeira Island.
In a statement released to the media, the PJ stated that the arrest was made under an international detention warrant issued by the Venezuelan judiciary “for forgery of public documents”.
“The case involves a property that was illegally acquired by his father in 2002”, the PJ explained.
Two years later, at the end of 2004, the suspect “forged documents to become the ‘legitimate’ owner of the property”, following his father’s death, and subsequently sold it.
The victim, the rightful owner of the property, eventually reported the matter to the authorities, leading to the issuance of the international warrant at the end of June this year.
According to the PJ, “for this crime, the detainee could face a maximum sentence of 25 years”.
The Lisbon Court of Appeal will decide on his possible extradition to Venezuela.
