Italy: Suspects arrested on corruption charges relating to the issue of migrant residence permits

Rome: A police officer and a public official are among five people who have been arrested in Imperia, on accusations of corruption while carrying out their administrative duties, related to issuing migrant residence permits.

Five people, including a public officer and a police agent, were arrested in Imperia, in the region of Liguria, for corruption while carrying out their administrative duties related to issuing residency permits to irregular migrants.

A complex investigation spearheaded by Imperia’s Public Prosecution team, in cooperation with Imperia’s Flying Squad police force, a special unit that tends to deal with serious crimes like those involving organized crime and terrorism, led to the arrest of five individuals who are under investigation for corruption while conducting administrative procedures at the migration office in the towns of Imperia and Sanremo in the north west of Italy.

Those arrested are being charged with corruption related to residency permits issued to irregular migrants. Two of those arrested were reportedly working in the offices and the other three reportedly carried out activities linked to migration procedures.

After a series of investigations, some of the arrests were made ‘in flagrante’ (which means in the act of wrongdoing) stated police officers.

In Imperia, a public officer working at the Office for Migration housed at the Police Station was arrested right after allegedly receiving 5,000 euros in cash – in 200 euro bills which had reportedly been handed over in a bag together with the papers to be processed — by the owner of an agency that processes paperwork for foreigners.

Those who ended up being handcuffed were Luigi M., Deputy Commissioner serving at the Migration office of the Police Station of Imperia, and Yelena V., a Russian citizen who was the owner of an agency handling the paperwork for foreigners.

Yelena V is reported to have stood as a candidate last year during municipal elections in the town of San Remo for the Brothers of Italy party, the party of which Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s Prime Minister, is the head.

These two individuals are being charged with corruption. Prosecutors suspect that the alleged “bribe” was in order to obtain a residency permit for a fellow national who had entered Italy without papers.

Searches carried out during the investigation allowed officers to seize a total of 267,000 euros, of which 133,000 were found during the search of the facility used by the public officer arrested “in flagrante.”