Trafficked people can be forced into false marriages, illustrative stock photo. (source: TSS archive)
The Slovak police's unit fighting illegal migration have uncovered two cases of sham marriages in the Nitra Region.
Two Slovak women and one Slovak man have been charged with human trafficking committed through a marriage of convenience. They married citizens of Nigeria and Egypt in Spain and Austria, the TASR newswire reported.
The foreigners thus obtained a permanent residence permit by marriage, as well as the right to move freely within the EU. In return, the Slovaks were to earn several thousands of euros, TASR wrote.
Two cases in the Nitra Region
Slovaks Andrea D. and Karol K. travelled to Spain to wed Nigerian citizens, aged 23 and 29. Subsequently, the Nigerians applied for a residence permit to unite with their families on the territory of the European Union, the police informed.
In the second case, Andrea K. travelled to Austria to marry a 27-year-old man from Egypt, who had not lived in one household with the woman before. Given the marriage, he managed to obtain the residence permit, and Andrea K. received €2,000 for the marriage.
The persons charged face a sentence of between two and eight years in jail, TASR reported.
