The newspaper "La Repubblica” revealed that Arsenal's Brazilian striker, Gabriel Martinelli, would be involved in the investigation by the Ivrea Public Prosecutor's Office into residence certificates and Italian passports issued in a “very flexible” by the town of Lauriano, in the hills between Turin and Asti.
The Brazilian, together with his father, would have benefited from a residence certificate granted by the Piedmontese municipality through payments made by an intermediary company. At the moment, however, Martinelli is not under investigation.
The diligence involves 68 Brazilians who “lived” in a rural bed & breakfast de Lauriano, which has only two bedrooms. Those investigated are those responsible for accommodation at Cascina Colombaro, as well as the mayor Matilde Casa, the person responsible for civil registration and another city hall employee.
The accusations are serious: criminal association, corruption and ideological falsehood.
Company Rotunno-Immigration, from São Paulo, who acted as an intermediary between Brazilians, is also being investigated.
In a statement, it informed Italianismo that “it is following and contributing to the investigation by the Italian Public Prosecutor's Office into citizenship recognition processes in the city of Lauriano”, and that the company “is absolutely sure that all processes are in accordance with what is determined by Italian legislation, including that which concerns the father of the player Gabriel Martinelli”.
The Prosecutor's Office accuses Martinelli's father of having received a false authorization that allowed him to establish residence in bed & breakfast on April 3, 2019, “without ever spending a night there".
Also in a statement, the Martinelli family defended themselves, saying that "obtaining Italian citizenship was done in a completely legal manner, respecting all the requirements of the Italian justice system. Both Gabriel and his father, João, presented all the necessary requirements for possessing the documentation."
Among the residents in the Piedmontese accommodation was also the Brazilian handball player José Guilherme De Toledo, the Jose Toledo, who plays for Valladolid, in Spain.
* Article updated on 11/05/2023 to provide clarification from the parties involved.
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