The woman was arrested on Tuesday in Cascais by PJ anti-corruption officers.
In a statement, the PJ confirmed it had arrested the 59-year-old legal professional “for crimes of aggravated deception, forgery of documents and money laundering.”
“The modus operandi consisted of the supposed provision of services to foreign citizens in obtaining visas for residence, under the investment for residency modality (ARI), and in the appropriation of the amounts delivered by them for acquiring real estate or opening bank accounts in national territory.”
The lawyer, who reportedly worked in a luxurious office in the Amoreiras Towers, is said to have pocketed large sums of money from clients from Brazil, China, Macau and South Africa, who gave it to her on the understanding it was being used to open bank accounts and to purchase property.
Newspaper Jornal de Notícias claims the woman also has a conviction in the UK, passed in absentia, in which she was sentenced to six years’ prison for a swindling €312,000 from a client of a law firm she ran in London in 2012.