A major scandal has erupted in the world of Italian diplomacy. The former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy to our country, Piergabriele Papadia de Bottini di Sant'Angelo has been arrested on suspicion of organizing an illegal visa issuance system.
"Secret corridor" via Tashkent
According to investigative findings, the diplomat conspired with his accomplice, a dual citizen of Italy and Russia, Tatyana Tarakanova, to turn the embassy in Tashkent into a "gateway" to the Schengen area for Russian citizens. They were engaged in illegally issuing long-term tourist visas to Russian nationals.
Exorbitant prices and the scale of the scheme
The details of the corruption chain are staggering:
Pricing: While the official state fee is only 45-60 euros, clients were charged between 4,000 and 16,000 euros for these visas.
Falsification: It was discovered that 95 of the illegal visa holders did not reside in Uzbekistan and never even visited the embassy in person.
Participants: Three major travel agencies in Moscow acted as intermediaries in operating this illegal channel.
Investigations continue
These violations were uncovered by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2025. Currently, the investigative team is examining another 400 suspicious cases. Additionally, assets belonging to the accused worth 3 million euros have been seized and are under investigation.
This incident once again demonstrates the severe consequences of using diplomatic status for personal gain.
Do you think oversight should be strengthened to prevent such situations in diplomatic missions?
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