Aides were arrested in Verona. 30 Brazilians in a single house to carry out the process
The Italian police dismantled yet another gang that practiced corruption to to facilitate the recognition of Italian citizenship. jus sanguinis (“right of blood”) for Brazilians.
The case occurred in the city of Creswell, located in the province of Vercelli, northwestern Italy. Through wiretaps and microcameras installed in municipal offices, investigators were able to document cash payments to public servants.
The Prosecutor's Office estimates that the gang moved more than 600 thousand euros. Four people were preventively arrested and are under home detention, including two employees of the Crescentino civil registry office: a 49-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman.
They are accused of having Italian citizenship recognition facilitated to 74 Brazilians in exchange for illicit payments made through an agency based in Verona, in the northeast of the country. According to the Public Ministry, the company offered “packages” of up to 4 thousand euros to obtain citizenship.
The 49-year-old man is still accused of renting two apartments he owned “on the outside” to at least 30 Brazilians who were waiting for their requests to be completed. He and his colleague will be responsible for gang formation, corruption, ideological falsehood and embezzlement.
Company in Verona
The other two detainees are the woman and her son who are responsible for the Verona, both from Brazil.
What caught the investigators' attention was the high number of Brazilians, around 150, who were in Crescentino, a town with just under 8 inhabitants, to obtain Italian citizenship.
Brazilian way
Over the past few years, the police and the Public Prosecutor's Office have dismantled several gangs that practiced corruption and fraud in the processes of recognizing Italian citizenship by jus sanguinis, especially involving Brazilians.
The most frequent problem is the issue of residence. To obtain recognition, you must prove that you live in Italy, which requires staying for a relatively uncertain period, but which can last around three months.
In some investigations, there is a suspicion of irregularities in the recognition of residence, a role that falls to a municipal guard, the so-called “vigile”.
There are also consultancies that sell the idea that this stage can be completed quickly or without the need for the candidate to be permanently present on Italian soil, which goes against the law.
In the case of the operation launched this Wednesday (14), the investigation revolves around the alleged corruption of municipal employees to guarantee the recognition of citizenship for Brazilians.
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