A real estate agent, along with four solicitors, was apprehended by the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) in relation to the same case. According to a PJ source, three of the solicitors are banned from practicing their profession after appearing for initial judicial questioning.
The fourth solicitor detained is subject only to identity and residence verification. All five defendants are also prohibited from contacting each other.
The real estate agent was involved in fraudulent deals in the Algarve, leveraging close relationships with mostly foreign victims to sell properties online, stated the director of the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) in Portimão on Thursday.
“There was a connection with the real estate agent due to family and friendship ties, which expanded into a network of investors,” stated Joaquim Trindade, emphasizing that her dual Portuguese and German nationality helped in gaining trust.
The operation, announced by the PJ on Thursday, identifies the five women as suspects in qualified fraud, document forgery, and money laundering within the real estate sector. These crimes are alleged to have caused losses exceeding 7 million euros, affecting around 30 individuals, according to investigators.
During a press conference on Thursday at the PJ in Faro, Joaquim Trindade explained that the five women detained under the operation “Chave na Mão” include a real estate agent aged between 40 and 50, who previously had an office in Portimão, and four solicitors who together formed a “complex web.”
Trindade added that most victims are German, with others being American, Polish, French, and Portuguese, although the latter is a minority.
Since mid-2022, the detained parties deceived dozens of clients by offering purchase and sale agreements for properties in the western Algarve. These transactions were supported by formally valid, yet false documents, without the property owners’ consent or knowledge.
The director of the PJ in Portimão explained that in most cases, the involved parties did not even visit the properties.
“Currently, we have identified around two dozen victims, nearing 30. However, given the number of documents found and new complaints being filed, we anticipate more victims will emerge,” he emphasized.
