The Prosecutor’s Office of the Court of Cassation has ordered a preliminary investigation to examine if an illicit ring was set up giving refugees and immigrants residence permits or extending existing permits by marrying pregnant Roma women in Greece.

According to reports, mainly Pakistani and Bangladeshi illegal immigrants would marry Roma women who were in their final stage of pregnancy with the help, according to reports in Bulgarian media, of Greek Mayors and Priests who would legally recognise their marriage.

According to e-thessalia.gr, the Volos Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered a preliminary investigation, already assigned to a magistrate. The aim is to investigate whether violations, doctoring of false certificates, bribery and false assertion and adultery had been committed.

The circuits, which started their activities in 2014, would reportedly locate pregnant women and pay them €1,000 to participate in the fraud, while the otter members of the ring would get more money.

Circuits would allegedly submit notarial deeds for voluntary recognition of the children born, drawn up by notaries, in an effort to obtain the recognition of their children by foreigners residing illegally in the country.

The goal was to give the illegal aliens the right to apply for a residence permit as parents of minors or to extend any residence permit they had.

The fake weddings started in 2014 and have grown gradually due to the problems of many illegal immigrants and refugees trying to leave Greece for western Europe.