Visa scandal: Italian embassy staff, AL leader among 5 arrested

Rome’s finance police have arrested five individuals, including three officials from the Italian Embassy in Dhaka, on charge of bribery and visa trafficking.

According to local authorities, among those arrested people, two are Bangladeshis, one of whom–Nazrul Islam– is believed to be the mastermind behind the syndicate.

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.

They were arrested on Tuesday following a court order, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.

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 themembers of the syndicate, 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.

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.