Four lawyers were found guilty by Italy's highest court on September 23 as part of Operation Ikaros, an investigation that began on February 17, 2021. The probe uncovered a scheme involving falsified documents used to obtain residence permits.
Italy's Court of Cassation on Sept. 23 handed down a final guilty ruling against four lawyers from the southern city of Crotone for criminal association. They had been arrested as part of Operation Ikaros, which began on February 17, 2021.
The charges of aiding and abetting illegal immigration were reduced to attempted aiding and abetting, which led to lighter sentences.
Mediators, officials, and foreign nationals also involved
The investigation targeted four lawyers from Crotone, along with cultural mediators, prefecture officials, and foreign nationals, and uncovered a scheme involving falsified documents to obtain residence permits.
According to the charges, the four lawyers -- Salvatore F., Irene T., Sergio T., and Gabriella P.-- had filed requests for stay permits for people not in Italy, using fraudulent signatures and certifications.
In the first trial, the lawyers had received sentences of between four and ten 10 years in jail for criminal association and aiding and abetting clandestine immigration. These sentences were upheld in May 2024 by the court of appeals, which had however changed the sentence for Salvatore F. (to 5 years and 6 months) and reduced the one for Gabriella P. (to 4 years, 6 months, and 15 days).
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Charge reduced to attempted aiding and abetting
Late in the evening on September 23, Italy's highest court upheld the charge of criminal association but in part accepted the arguments made by the defense team and ruled that there had not actually been any aiding and abetting of any undocumented entrance into the country since the migrants never arrived in Italy.
For this reason, the charge was reduced to attempted aiding and abetting and the case was sent back to the appeals court for the re-examination also of the crime of fraud.
A similar decision was made for the foreign nationals and cultural mediators involved: Mohammed K. and Lebkachi R. Mahmoudzadeh E. was sentenced to 3 years and 10 months, while appeals by the prosecutor general for Intzar A. (sentenced to one year and six months) and Alfonso B. (9 months) were rejected.
The ruling by the Court of Cassation will lead to a substantial reduction in the sentences, thereby preventing actual jail time for most of the defendants.
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