On January 21 agents from the Ravenna State Police mobile task force arrested a
25-year-old man of Senegalese origin for a series of
sexual assaults.
At least seven incidents took place in the station area of the Romagna city and in the famous Classense Library. The arrest caused a stir because of the
series of crimes the young man may have committed, but also because
the 25-year-old had been taken to the repatriation centre a few weeks earlier
and subsequently classified as unfit to travel following medical examinations at the hospital.
Days later, the same mobile police officers searched the infectious diseases department of Santa Maria delle Croci Hospital. They did so at the behest of the Ravenna Public Prosecutor’s Office. Attorney General Daniele Barberini and Public Prosecutor Angela Scorza have investigated at least six doctors for issuing certificates that were deliberately incomplete or inaccurate in order to confirm the unsuitability of non-EU citizens for repatriation.
This included not only the case that would have allowed the 25-year-old to avoid being deported before his arrest on January 22, but also other cases, of course.
On February 12, searches carried out by mobile police officers lasted the entire day. All devices that could potentially contain messages, communications and documents were scanned. According to the findings, the investigation could extend far beyond the initial stages. Investigators are also focusing on the motives behind the doctors’ behaviour:
To clarify the reasons that ‘guided’ them, to ensure that the certificates do not result in repatriation. For this reason, the investigations are proceeding swiftly and in the utmost secrecy. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Matteo Salvini intervened in the case with a post on X. ‘This is very serious. If confirmed, it would be a disgrace that would result in dismissal, expulsion and arrest.’