Third Vale de Judeus Fugitive captured in Italy
Shergili Farjiani, a Georgian citizen, was arrested in Pádua after an extensive joint operation between Portuguese and Italian authorities.
What?
The Portuguese Judiciary Police (PJ) announced on Tuesday the arrest of Shergili Farjiani in Pádua, Italy.
Farjiani is the third inmate recaptured since his spectacular escape two months ago of five inmates from the Vale de Judeus prison, about 70 kilometers north of Lisbon, where they were serving sentences of 7 to 25 years in prison.
Details
In a statement, the Judicial Police specified that Shergili Farjiani, 40 years old and of Georgian nationality, was captured this Tuesday after “persistent, complex and uninterrupted” investigative work since the day of his escape, September 7, 2024.
In this operation, the Portuguese authorities had the cooperation of the Italian authorities to arrest this man “with an extensive criminal career, with crimes such as violent robbery and falsification of documents” and who had a European arrest warrant.
The five fugitives
Last month, the Portuguese authorities recaptured Fernando Ribeiro Ferreira, 61, who was serving 24 years in prison for 11 convictions associated with the crimes of drug trafficking, robbery and kidnapping, among others.
That fugitive was found in Trás os Montes, a Portuguese subregion located in the northeast of the country that includes districts such as Vila Real and Bragança, next to the border with Spain.
On October 7, the Portuguese Police announced the arrest in Tangier, Morocco, of the first of the prisoners found, Fábio Fernandes Santos Loureiro, 34.
The two other fugitives - Argentinian Rodolfo José Lohrmann (61) and Brit Mark Cameron Roscaleer (37) - remain on the run.
Background?
On Sept. 7, the five convicts escaped from Vale de Judeus prison during visiting hours, when the guards were busy, with the help of a long ladder provided by an accomplice on the outside.
The prison guards’ union has long been flagging what it sees as inadequate staffing and security at the prison with a capacity for 560 inmates, especially since the watchtowers were torn down and replaced with video surveillance.
Read more about the case here.