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The suspects, aged 37 and 41, are accused of fabricating and selling fraudulent certificates throughout 2021 and 2022. Their arrest took place at their residence in Essonne, where authorities seized numerous fake certificates and a substantial sum of cash.
The arrested individuals were promptly brought before the Évry-Courcouronnes court on April 4 for an immediate hearing. They face charges of "fraud," "money laundering," "concealed work," and "fraudulent possession of administrative documents."
The investigation into the case began in 2023 when the Essonne prefecture flagged six suspicious certificates submitted for the French Assessment Test (TEF), a prerequisite for foreign nationals seeking French citizenship. Subsequent scrutiny revealed these certificates to be counterfeit, prompting authorities to delve deeper into the matter. Further investigations uncovered similar anomalies in the Paris and Seine-Saint-Denis prefectures, with nearly 15 cases of falsified certificates identified.
During the probe, attention was drawn to two individuals of Estonian origin, with police noting frequent phone communications supporting their suspicions. A source close to the investigation indicated that the suspects were well-connected within the Malian community and known for facilitating the procurement of false documents for administrative purposes.
Following months of investigation, the suspects were apprehended on April 2, 2024.
Subsequently, during an immediate hearing held two days later, the court deferred the case for further proceedings in the upcoming weeks.
Statista data reveals that in 2022, 59,904 foreigners acquired French nationality through naturalization, marking a 19 percent decrease compared to the previous year's figure of over 74,000. The trend of naturalization acquisitions has seen fluctuations over the years, with the highest recorded number observed in 2005, exceeding 89,000.
By fLEXI tEAM