Former Italian ambassador arrested for running Schengen visa fraud scheme in Uzbekistan

Italian police have arrested Italy's former ambassador to Uzbekistan, Piergabriele Papadia de Bottini di Sant'Agnese, on charges of running an illegal Schengen visa scheme from the Italian embassy in Tashkent. His associate, Tatiana Tarakanova, is also under investigation. Rome prosecutors are accusing both of facilitating illegal immigration and corruption related to abuse of office.

The arrests were carried out following a precautionary measure ordered by an investigating judge in Rome.

According to the investigation, the pair had set up a system for issuing long-term tourist visas to Russian citizens who did not meet the entry criteria for the Schengen area. Beneficiaries paid amounts ranging from 4,000 to 16,000 euros, while the official fee for a visa ranged from 45 to 60 euros. Investigators suspect that the scheme operated in cooperation with Moscow-based travel agencies and that at least 95 Russian citizens obtained visas without fulfilling legal requirements, such as residency in the consular district or personal appearance at the consulate.

According to the investigative file, some applications were sent through the Telegram application and were processed outside of official procedures.

The investigation began after an inspection by the Italian Foreign Ministry in July last year found irregularities in visa documentation and a lack of records of applicants’ entries at the embassy. Prosecutors also cite wiretapped conversations in which the former ambassador allegedly stated that he “needed money,” suggesting a financial motive behind the scheme. Italian authorities are investigating about 400 visa files and are verifying assets linked to Papadia, worth an estimated 3 million euros.

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