Legal Action Imminent in Italy Recruitment Scam Involving Filipino Victims

Milan: Criminal cases are soon to be filed against officials of Alpha Assistenza SRL, a firm implicated in a fraudulent recruitment scheme targeting Filipinos for non-existent jobs in Italy. The Philippine Consulate General in Milan announced this development on Tuesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, aggravated fraud charges will be brought by Bruno de Blasi, an Italian lawyer representing the 100 Filipino complainants based in Italy. These individuals reportedly paid excessive fees for relatives in the Philippines to secure jobs in Italy, which were later revealed to be fictitious. The Consulate selected De Blasi on November 29 to provide legal services after he submitted the most competitive proposal among four interested lawyers. The cases represent 269 Filipinos in the Philippines who each paid at least 3,000 euros under the decreto flussi program, an immigration policy dictating entry terms for non-European Union nationals into Italy. The Consulate’s decision to hire De Blasi followed an investigation launched in response to initial complaints against Alpha Assistenza CEO Diane Krizelle Respicio. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), recognizing the gravity of the situation, has allocated funds from its legal assistance budget to support the complainants.