Four Brazilians and a former municipal employee from Italy have been charged with forgery and corruption for allegedly being part of a gang that bought and sold fake citizenships to people from the South American country.
The scheme was revealed this Thursday (6), after an investigation by the State Police in Luino, coordinated by the Public Ministry of Varese, in the Lombardy region.
The investigation was opened after anomalies were identified at the passport issuing office of the Border Police in Luino, which is close to the border with Switzerland.
Police became suspicious of the growing number of applications from Brazilians who had obtained Italian citizenship by right of blood just days before, all residing in the same area of a municipality in the province of Varese.
According to Italian authorities, at least 362 cases have been confirmed so far. Of these, 84 people have confirmed that they live at the same address in a single apartment.
The suspects are four Brazilians who own agencies specializing in Italian citizenship and a former municipal employee who, "thanks to his position, ensured the successful outcome of the recognition procedure, collecting between 200 and 500 euros for each case."
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 common problem is precisely the issue of residency. To obtain recognition in Italy, it is necessary to prove residence in the country, which requires staying for a relatively uncertain period, but which can last around three months.HANDLE)
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