Algiers visa scam: wife contests Spanish accusations
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Le Provincial
According to Spanish police, the wife of a former deputy head of the Spanish consulate in Algiers reportedly acquired six properties in Algiers for 120 million dinars, or about €784,000. The defence contests these accusations and requests a letter rogatory to Algeria, according to Maghreb Emergent.
Amina Nessrine Beljoudi, wife of former chancellor of the Spanish consulate general in Algiers, Vicente Moreno, contests the accusations of the Spanish police. The police attribute to her the acquisition of properties valued at nearly €784,000. Her defence says she owns no property in Algeria and contests the facts alleged against her, according to Maghreb Emergent (ME).
The investigation by the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) concerns six properties acquired in Algiers between 2016 and 2021 for 120 million dinars. The police report also mentions other properties in Portugal and earlier links between the wife and the private company BLS, an approved provider for managing visa applications. These facts form part of a case of selling Schengen visas based on falsified documents, for sums sometimes reaching €25,000 per family.
Six people are being prosecuted, including Vicente Moreno and a local employee, arrested in Spain in April, as well as three consulate officials implicated in September. The charges include money laundering and membership of a criminal organisation. The defence has requested an international letter rogatory addressed to the Algerian authorities to verify these accusations. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs recalled Vicente Moreno to Madrid and sent an inspection mission to the Spanish consulate general in Algiers.
