Ines Pereira and her family ordered ATMs to be separated from stores to force customers to pay cash. The blue bag went to private accounts, foreheads and offshore accounts.
The Public Prosecution has charged hairdresser Ines Pereira, her husband and two children, as well as collaborators, codes and a lawyer with the crimes of tax fraud and money laundering. Between 2011 and 2018, they will have set up parallel accounts in the group’s 14 stores. Many card payments ended up in personal accounts and there were orders to close ATMs and take cash, which they did not advertise. The state demands 1.8 million euros from them.
In the indictment it was stated that the Ines Pereira group was the target of an inspection by the Tax Agency (AT) in 2011. That year, the famous hairdresser announced that the income depends on more than 33 thousand euros, but in her own bank account they fell 605 thousand euros . The money came from payments with debit or credit cards at the stations of Inês Pereira stores. These moves were considered suspicious and led to a thorough investigation by the Porto Finance Department, which came to reveal an apparently organized scheme.
Salman Rushdie is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, politics, literature, and international affairs. He focuses on delivering clear, informative reporting that helps readers understand the people, events, and trends influencing today’s world.
