Double benefits case: how a Luxembourg resident found herself at the centre of a scandal in Spain
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A 32-year-old woman, a native of Portugal and mother of two children, was detained in Bilbao on 30 December on suspicion of fraud. According to the Spanish press, she had been receiving social benefits in the Basque Country while living in Luxembourg and receiving similar payments there.
The investigation was launched following an anonymous tip-off about possible receipt of benefits abroad. The Spanish police, in co-operation with Interpol and Luxembourg authorities, established that the woman and her children were registered in both the Spanish province of Biscaya and Luxembourg.
In November 2023, she registered in Luxembourg, just two days after receiving more than €17,000 from the Spanish employment service Lanbide. From April 2022, the woman received monthly payments of €1,000 and had social housing in the town of Sestao for €233 per month.
At the same time, she enjoyed a number of benefits in Luxembourg, including:
- social assistance;
- unemployment benefits;
- family allowances;
- rent allowance;
- compensation for the cost of living.
Her children had been attending school in Luxembourg since the start of the school year 2022/2023, which confirmed their permanent residence in the country.
A woman was arrested while visiting Spain and charged with fraud and forgery. After testifying, the court in Bilbao released her, but all social benefits were frozen. Lanbide announced the suspension of payments and promised strict sanctions.
According to L'Essentiel, it emerged that the woman had already been prosecuted for a similar offence in 2016, when she also fraudulently obtained unemployment benefits.
