The number two official at the Spanish Consulate in Algiers has been arrested and charged for illicit charges in exchange for visas

The Diplomat The chancellor of the Spanish Consulate General in Algiers, Vicente Moreno, has been arrested by order of the National Court in connection with a possible crime of illegally charging fees in exchange for granting visas. According to the news reported this Sunday by the newspaper ‘The Objective’, based on police sources, the National Court has dismantled, following an investigation by the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) of the National Police, an illegal network that demanded payment of 25,000 euros for each entire family that was fraudulently allowed to enter Spain. According to the sources cited by the newspaper, the alleged criminal network facilitated the issuance of Schengen visas in exchange for “large sums” of money. The money obtained through these practices was allegedly laundered in Spain through “a vehicle purchase operation”. As a result, the Central Court of Instruction number three of the National Court ordered the arrest of two people last Friday for the alleged crimes of facilitating illegal immigration, illicit enrichment, and money laundering. Specifically, Moreno and a consulate employee were arrested last Friday in the Valencian Community; Moreno in Sagunto and Boutouchent, an Algerian national and member of staff named Mohamed Boutouchent, in Torrevieja. In addition, a third person (the chancellor's wife, also Algerian) is being investigated for crimes of organized crime, bribery, facilitating illegal immigration, money laundering, and document forgery, according to the EFE news agency. Sources at the Foreign Ministry have told ‘The Diplomat’ that an inspection is underway regarding alleged illicit activities at the Consulate. “We are awaiting judicial notification to take all appropriate measures as provided for in these cases,” they added.

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