Italian Embassy staff in Dhaka, AL leader arrested in bribes-for-visas scandal

Five people, including three officials from the Italian Embassy in Dhaka, have been arrested by Rome's finance police on bribery and visa trafficking charges.

Among those arrested are two Bangladeshis, one of whom -- Nazrul Islam -- is believed to be the mastermind behind the syndicate, according to local authorities.

Nazrul, a resident of Rome, has been associated with the Italian chapter of the Awami League, where he reportedly served as vice president for an extended period. He also claimed to be a director at NRB Bank.

The court has ordered that the three embassy officials be placed under house arrest, while Nazrul and one other individual have been sent to jail.

The arrests occurred on Tuesday following a court ruling, Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.

The issue has been widely covered by the country’s major media outlets. Il Sole, one of Italy's leading newspapers, reported that Nazrul, who owns the restaurant El Siciliano Fis in Rome, had been involved in visa trafficking for years, allegedly working with officials at the Bangladesh Embassy in Italy.

The syndicate is said to have charged Bangladeshi workers €15,000 (about Tk 1.8 million) for work visas and €7,000 for tourist visas.

Some of the accused, including Roberto Alberto, a visa officer at the Italian Embassy in Dhaka, allegedly issued visas without proper verification. Another embassy official, Nicola Muscatello, is accused of assisting in obtaining work permits from immigration offices in various Italian cities, including Rome and Naples, in exchange for money.

Muscatello had previously been transferred to the embassy in Turkey due to corruption allegations.

Giuseppe Suicca, another embassy official, has also been arrested as a suspect.

Since Georgia Meloni assumed power in Italy, the process for granting visas to foreign nationals has become more stringent. Last year, the syndicate allegedly offered Andrea Di Giuseppe, a leader of the ruling Fratelli d’Italia party and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Parliament of Rome, a bribe. The offer included €20 million (around Tk 250 million), a new Rolex watch, high-end smartphones, a tablet, and travel expenses for his family to Dubai.

However, Andrea rejected the offer and reported the incident to the finance police in Rome on Mar 30, 2024. Later, various investigative bodies launched an inquiry.

The investigation revealed that embassy officials had been issuing work permits and visas without proper verification from the immigration offices in Rome and Naples for a fee.

With all the evidence presented in court, a judge ordered the arrests of the suspects, which were carried out on Tuesday.

Several Bangladeshis living in Rome have claimed that Nazrul has been operating his business in Italy for years. Last year, he allegedly brought nearly 1,500 Bangladeshis to Italy on visas.

Efforts to reach leaders of the Italy Awami League for comment on Nazrul's involvement were unsuccessful.