Ten members of the Independent Workers Union in Cádiz have been detained for issuing qualifications in exchange for money, a fraud which probably netted them more than one million euros.
The fraudsters used the Union as cover, although they did not engage in any trades union activity, issuing diplomas and certificates in exchange for money. The certificates were issued in the name of the School of Public Health in the Canary Islands.
For a sum of at least €80 and a copy of their DNI, applicants would be issued with a certificate or diploma approved by numerous government agencies, allowing them to obtain employment.
The arrests were made in Cádiz, Badajoz and the Canary Islands and one of those detained was the secretary general of the Independent Union in Cádiz who, it is thought, made at least half a million euros from the scam in the past three years.