Chinese held in Italy immigration raids
Print Edition
ITALY arrested 15 people and placed dozens more under investigation yesterday on suspicion of aiding illegal immigration and forging documents for mainly Chinese citizens, finance police said.
Police in the central Tuscan town of Prato, home to the country’s biggest Chinese community, carried out 111 raids in an operation dubbed “White Collars.”
Some 50,000 Chinese work in Prato, many in textile firms which depend on illegal immigrants. The businesses are often accused of ignoring safety rules and evading taxes.
A total of 83 people have been placed under investigation. Two Chinese nationals and one Italian are in jail and a further 12 Chinese are under house arrest, a police spokesman said.
The investigation centers on two labor consultancy firms with offices in Prato, whose owners and some employees are accused of setting up a business helping non-EU citizens, mainly Chinese, to stay in Italy illegally.
Police said the most common tactic was to arrange fake hirings and issue false payslips to obtain residency documents.
The investigation also unveiled alleged criminal association, defrauding Italy’s social security and pensions agency, and inducing public officials to make false declarations.
Prato’s Chinese community clashed with police over workshop inspections in July. The area is also the focus of an investigation into alleged money laundering between Italy and China.
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