SIENA. The State Police of Siena have arrested in flagrante delicto a 27-year-old cultural mediator, of Indian origin and residing in the province of Frosinone, serving at the Immigration Office of the police headquarters. The man is seriously suspected of aggravated facilitation of illegal stay in the national territory, for having facilitated – in exchange for money – the issuance of residence permits to foreign citizens lacking the requirements provided by law. In the same operation, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Siena, another seven foreigners of Indian and Pakistani nationality, aged between 27 and 53, were reported: according to investigators, they would have acted as intermediaries or made or promised payments to obtain residence permits.
Anomalies in the procedures and the start of investigations
The investigative activity arose from anomalies found by the agents of the Immigration Office during the processing of some administrative procedures. The checks and in-depth investigations ordered by the manager highlighted inconsistencies in the management of numerous procedures, enough to hypothesize illegal conduct. Hence the synergy with the Mobile Squad, which developed the investigations through wiretaps, surveillance, control and tailing services, document acquisitions and analysis of administrative procedures.
The illicit system and documented profits
According to what emerged, the mediator would have abused his functions and access credentials to the ministerial IT systems, falsely certifying the existence of the necessary requirements for the issuance of residence permits. In this way, he would have facilitated the stay in the national territory of foreign citizens not in compliance, in exchange for large sums of money. Investigators documented a significant flow of money attributable, according to current findings, to the profits of the illicit activity, as well as numerous procedures based on false premises that led to the issuance of residence permits.
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Seizures and measures adopted
At the end of the operation, culminating in the arrest and reports, documentation and IT devices considered of investigative interest were seized, on which further investigations are underway. After the validation hearing, the mediator was placed under house arrest. At the same time, the police chief of Siena issued a prevention measure against him banning his return to the municipality for four years.
The role of internal controls and the phase of the procedure
The operation confirms, according to the State Police, the constant commitment to combating irregular immigration and protecting legality and transparency of administrative action. The investigation also represents an example of the effectiveness of internal control systems within the Public Security Administration, which allowed timely identification of anomalies and further investigation with the coordination of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Siena. The criminal proceeding is in the preliminary investigation phase: the presumption of innocence applies to the persons under investigation until a final conviction is issued.
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