17 Guardia at Málaga airport charged with taking bribes

MÁLAGA (Agencies) Seventeen members of the Guardia Civil fiscal unit stationed at Málaga Airport will be facing a court in the next few days. The are all charged with allegedly taking bribes from non-EU passengers and allowing them to bring in illegal foodstuffs and/or items subject to tax. The extorsion racket dates back to the first investigations that began in 2005. It was common knowledge in China, for instance, that it was advisable to disembark at the airport with a €50 bill in hand so as to avoid problems on arrival.>

Investigation began on November 18, 2005, when a couple from Norway denounced that two GC agents had demanded €50 for not checking the food items they were bringing for their daughter, as it was supposedly illegal to import perishable food, which in this case was not true. A court order in December that year had  security cameras set up to watch Carrousel 28 at Terminal 2 and another one set up at the customs office, where it was suspected the transactions took place. Eleven cases of extorsion were detected in 19 days as a result.

Over the last five years, several similar cases were recorded, inluding that of five Chinese passengers, whose luggage was checked by one agent, while another demanded money to avoid food being thrown away. Another Chinese man had allegedly to pay a million Turkish Pounds to be allowed to bring silver and leather items. An Indian man was ostensibly allowed to 'import' branded clothing believed to be counterfeit, for 'an indeterminate amount of euros', according to court pappers made public this week.

Passengers from Israel, Pakistan, Morocco, Belgium and many other points of the globe were supposedly allowed to bring in articles or cash that may or may not have been legally permitted.

The agents are now awaiting trial, the prosecution having requested suspension of work and pay in varying degrees, as well as fines. The only passenger to be charged is a man from China, who allegedly paid several hundred euros to be allowed to come in with meat products that he, and the Guardia, knew to be illegal.