Four defendants are accused of money laundering and swindling more than €400,000 in Guimaraes court.

According to the indictment of the Public Ministry (MP), the defendants include a GNR officer from Fafe, Braga district, and his wife. The other two defendants are the parents of the GNR officer. The indictment says the defendants obtained more than €400,000, which allowed the GNR officer and his wife, a justice auditor, to lead a life of luxury.

The indictment maintains that the scheme involved the GNR's father, "who is very well known, with a good reputation in his area of residence, taken in by his wife whenever necessary, borrowing money from people who trusted him, generally elderly people, deceiving them with a simulated situation of urgency and distress".

According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the GNR officer's wife and parents joined the scheme. The GNR's father would pretend that his son was set to be arrested, arising from problems with the authorities and/or an expulsion from the GNR.

The defendants managed to convince 29 different parties, in some cases married couples, to give them the overall amount of €406,999 between 2016 and 2019.

The MP says a "substantial part" of this amount financed a high standard of living for the GNR officer and his wife.