Brazilian Police Investigate Birth Certificate Fraud Scheme to Issue Brazilian IDs to Foreigners - Folha de S.Paulo

A criminal organization suspected of forging birth certificates so that foreigners from the Middle East and Russia could obtain Brazilian identity cards is the target of an operation launched Thursday (12) by the Federal District's Civil Police. Folha learned that among the beneficiaries is Fahad Abdullah Bakalka, mentioned in a U.S. document about the September 11 attacks. There are also other individuals linked to terrorism-related crimes, and the case has been shared with the Federal Police.

According to the investigation, 14 suspects are fugitives, 13 of Arab origin and one of Russian origin, and most have left the country. Bakalka, a Saudi citizen, was in Brazil between June and August, obtained a forged birth certificate, an identity card and a passport, and then left the country. Five people were arrested, including two organizers of the scheme in Rio de Janeiro, one Syrian and one Lebanese, two men from São Paulo and a registry office employee.

The scheme exploited a rule allowing the registration of children born abroad to Brazilian parents.