Former Italian Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Piergabriele Papadia de Bottini di Sant'Agneze, has been arrested in Rome on suspicion of illegal immigration facilitation and corruption in office, according to Italian authorities. He is accused of orchestrating a scheme to issue long-term tourist visas to Russian citizens in exchange for bribes.
Investigators allege that Papadia, along with an accomplice, organized a system where Russian nationals could obtain visas valid for one to three years, even if they did not meet the standard requirements. The former ambassador allegedly charged an additional fee of between €4,000 and €16,000 per person, while the official consular fee ranges from €45 to €60 per application.
The fraud was carried out through three travel agencies in Moscow registered at the same address: Happy Travel, Visa4you, and Park Lane. At least 95 Russian citizens applied through these agencies and subsequently entered Italy without meeting official visa requirements. In some cases, applicants did not reside within the consular district; in others, documents were signed by a third party, and some applicants received visas without personally visiting the consulate.
The scheme was uncovered in July 2025 during an official inspection by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the embassy in Tashkent, where serious document irregularities were found. In 81 cases, the names of Russians who obtained visas at the Tashkent embassy were not recorded in the visitor log. “Clear violations were found in visa applications, for which the head of mission, Papadia, was directly responsible, as he marked them ‘OK’ and initialed them,” investigators stated.
The investigation also revealed that between January and July 2025, the travel agencies transferred €23,600 to a bank account in Bulgaria, labeled as an interest-bearing loan. The account belongs to Tatyana Tarakanova, a Russian-Italian citizen living in Bulgaria, who previously worked with Papadia at the Italian consulate in Moscow. After Papadia became ambassador to Tashkent, he hired her for the visa section.
The former ambassador has been placed in pre-trial detention due to flight risk, as he had recently inquired about obtaining a visa to Russia. Prosecutors and financial police are investigating approximately 400 episodes and examining Papadia's assets, estimated at €3 million, which he claims were inherited.
Source: kun.uz