17 people were arrested yesterday in Belgium in within the framework of an investigation into welfare fraud. The authorities have also blocked 105 bank accounts. Part of the appropriated money was sent to Bulgaria. The Belgian prosecutor's office expects assistance from the Bulgarian authorities, BNT reported.
An investigation by the special Prosecutor's Office for Labor Audit in Brussels revealed a large-scale fraud related to benefits for self-employed persons, the prosecutor's office announced on Thursday evening. So far, it is known that 1.5 million euros have been siphoned off, but there are probably other amounts.
The judicial investigation focuses on a criminal organization that committed serious and organized welfare fraud on a large scale, said the institution's spokesperson.
„Through a scheme of identity theft, individuals are alleged to have obtained self-employed status illegally in order to receive benefits from the state. The damage the criminal organization has caused to the Belgian social security system is currently being assessed. It is alleged that part of the embezzled money was transferred to bank accounts and invested in real estate in Bulgaria”, the spokesman said.
On Thursday, police carried out 20 raids in the Brussels and Antwerp region and in Walloon Brabant. 17 people have been arrested and questioned, the spokesman said. Around 15,000 euros in cash were found during the searches. In Belgium, the police blocked 105 bank accounts, and from Bulgaria it was the seizure of real estate and the blocking of bank accounts to which the money was transferred.