Nearly 300 false documents were discovered during the searches. These false papers have allowed people to work illegally, mainly in the construction sector in Île-de-France.
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A network of false documents managed by members of the Pakistani community was dismantled in early January, franceinfo learned on Tuesday January 18 from Ocriest (the Central Office for the Suppression of Irregular Immigration). Jointly seized with the Ocrgdf (the central office for the repression of major financial crime), the two police services arrested 11 people on January 10 in Sevran (Seine-Saint-Denis), Ermont and Argenteuil (Val- of Oise). 10 of them have since been indicted and imprisoned. These are members of the Pakistani community for the majority of them known to the police, all aged between 30 and 40 years. The parquet floor of Pontoise (Val-d’Oise) is seized.
It all started in June 2020, when Ocriest received information on the dissemination of false documents within the Pakistani community. As part of a preliminary investigation carried out by the Pontoise public prosecutor’s office, investigators from Ocriest and then from Ocrgdf uncovered a network of trafficking in false documents from different countries in the Schengen area. False documents that allow people from this community to live and work illegally in France, mainly in Île-de-France.
The investigation confirms that many false documents (identity cards, driving licenses, residence permits) are sent from Pakistan via Greece and Turkey. During the searches carried out during the arrests, the police found nearly 300 false documents, but also 134,000 euros in cash and seized one million euros from 40 bank accounts, as well as four branded vehicles and a 25-year-old Rolex watch. 000 euros. Two brothers are suspected of being at the head of the network. One of the two was sentenced for similar acts last year by the Meaux court.
These false documents have allowed people to work illegally mainly in companies in the construction sector in Île-de-France. These companies do not pay charges they were able to launder money. At the same time, the investigators brought to light a whole system of shell companies which disbursed the funds, two of which acted as principals. Thus, in addition to the trafficking of false documents, the investigators revealed the existence of suspicious financial movements. In all, between 2019 and 2021, 41 million euros were laundered, of which 28 million euros passed through fraudulent bank accounts. The other 13 million were wired to other front companies. In all, the police got their hands on 180 suspicious accounts.