And now four members of this gang have found themselves in the dock. They are two Germans (one of whom is a resettler from Ukraine) and two Ukrainians. They are accused of violating the law on foreigners and of forging documents.
The illegals who used their services managed to cross the German-Polish border thanks to tourist visas. To obtain such visas, the criminals, for a fee, provided their clients with fake invitations and special insurance policies. Such insurance policies were accepted by German embassies in CIS countries instead of proof of solvency of the travelers or the persons whose signature was on the invitation.
As the press secretary of the Cologne Regional Court, Georg Schwitanski, told Deutsche Welle, the suspects obtained the data for issuing fake invitations by approaching homeless people, unemployed people and pensioners in Germany and asking them to sign the relevant documents for 50 marks. In this way, they managed to persuade approximately 200 people. In addition, the members of the criminal group created a whole network of fake travel agencies, on whose behalf tourist travel programs around Germany were compiled for “guests” from Ukraine.
The trial in Cologne is expected to continue until June. The defendants face from one to ten years' imprisonment.
Meanwhile, according to ForUm, illegal migrants from Ukraine continue to remain a serious problem for both German and Polish border guards and customs officers. Recently, on the Polish side of the border crossing near Frankfurt an der Oder, customs officers detained 26 illegal migrants from Ukraine who were trying to enter Germany by hiding in the back of a truck. While checking the seals on the vehicle, which according to the documents was supposed to transport windows, an officer heard voices in the back, which gave away the illegals.