False residence permits, Appeal confirms convictions for Crotone lawyers

On May 17, the Court of Appeal of Catanzaro confirmed almost entirely the first instance sentence of the Crotone Court which concerned some lawyers, agents and cultural mediators accused of having facilitated the entry of non-EU citizens into Italy through a series of false permits issued have to immigrants.
Professionals had been involved in the operation Ikaros, carried out on 17 February 2021 by the Flying Squad of the Crotone Police Headquarters. Investigation through which it was revealed that in Crotone there was a ring of residence permits obtained thanks to a complex but well-oiled system of forgery which included cultural mediators, lawyers, officials of the Prefecture and the Police.
In particular, two different organizations that used the same methods were highlighted. At first instance the sentences had been imposed, for various reasons, for criminal association and for having favored the presence of illegal immigrants in Italy through residence permits which, according to the Crotone Prosecutor’s Office, were obtained illegally by affixing false signatures.
Confirmed absolution of the police officer Rocco Meo. The Court of Appeal, in fact, rejected the public prosecutor’s appeal against the decision of the Court of Crotone which in July 2022 had acquitted the police officer of the immigration office of the Crotone police station for not having committed the crime.
The main novelty of the Court of Appeal’s ruling is the reduction of the sentence imposed on the lawyer Salvatore Andrea Falcone which goes from 10 years and 2 to 5 years and 6 months. The reduction is motivated by the fact that Falcone was acquitted by the Court of Appeal of 61 charges out of the 94 of which he was accused.
The sentence for the lawyer was also reduced by two months due to the acquittal on two counts Gabriella Panucci to which the Appeal inflicted 4 years 6 months and 15 days and a fine of 16,250 euros.
Four years is the redetermined sentence for cultural mediators Rachida Lebkhachi (in the first instance they were 6 years) ed Edris Mahmouzadeh (4 years and 15 days in first instance). The other appeals from both the defense and the prosecutor’s office were rejected. Therefore the sentences for the lawyers remain Sergio Trolio (4 years and 3 months) e Irene Trocino (5 years and 4 months), for Iranian Mohammed Kasro (4 years and 8 months), for Intzar Ahmed (1 year and 6 months) for the local police officer Alfonso Bennardis (9 months).