Two Coaches Museum employees detained for diverting money from ticket office in Lisbon
The Judicial Police detained two employees of the Coaches Museum in Belém, suspected of keeping money paid by tourists since March. The scheme may have lasted several years.
Operation Free Pass: pair charged with embezzlement at Lisbon's most visited museum
The Judicial Police detained two employees of the ticket office at the Coaches Museum in Belém on Monday, suspected of having appropriated money paid by thousands of visitors. According to Correio da Manhã, the scheme was in operation at least since March, but the authorities do not exclude the possibility that it may have lasted several years.
The two detainees — a 48-year-old man and a 61-year-old woman — are charged with the crimes of embezzlement and computer fraud. They are employees of Lisbon's most visited museum, where the entrance ticket costs 15 euros.
The method was straightforward: the pair charged the normal entrance fee, especially to foreign tourists, but then issued tickets with discount or free categories "in situations not covered by the regime in force", according to a statement from the Judicial Police. The money handed over by visitors — mostly in cash — remained in the possession of the two suspects, rather than being recorded in the museum's revenue.
Legal benefits provided for Portuguese nationals, students and other groups were used as cover to justify free access tickets issued improperly. In this way, the amounts charged left no trace in the museum's computer systems.
The search and detention operation involved the participation of nine inspectors and four forensic police specialists from the Judicial Police, as well as a magistrate from the Public Ministry. The two defendants will be presented to court on Tuesday.
Source: Correio da Manhã