Police in Amsterdam have arrested a 48-year-old man, who they suspect of helping African men fraudulantly obtain residency permits.

The suspect is accused of pretending to be an attorney or legal advisor and falsifying cohabitation contracts, so that the African men could make it look like they had a relationship with a European woman. These false cohabitation contracts were allegedly then used as the basis for requesting a Dutch residency permit.

Police believe the suspect was paid about a thousand euros for each African man he helped. The women he allegedly convinced to participate in the fraud are said to have received a couple of hundred euros.

The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service believes the suspect was involved in about 300 cases. An investigation has been started to determine in which cases residency permits were actually issued. In cases where fraud is proven, the residency permits will be revoked and the men in question will no longer be able to live in the Netherlands legally.

(dcf)

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