Shalabayeva case, new appeal requested for the 5 policemen in the Supreme Court

A new appeal process for the five policemen involved in the Shalabayeva case (wife of a Kazakh dissident picked up and expelled by the Italian police with her 6-year-old daughter in 2013) was requested by the Supreme Court prosecutor, who however distinguished the actions of the then leaders of the Rome Flying Squad from that of the Immigration office involved in the 2013 affair.

In particular, the prosecutor Alessandro Cimmino asked for a ter appeal for the former head of Mobile, Renato Cortese, and for the officials Luca Armeni and Francesco Stampacchia only for the accusation of kidnapping of Alma Shalbayeva's daughter, maintaining that malice has not been proven and thus not recognizing the conspiracy. Instead, for the former head of Immigration Maurizio Improta and for the official of that office Vincenzo Tramma, a new appeal was requested limited to the generic extenuating circumstances, considering however that the intent linked to the kidnapping of the minor did exist. Everyone was urged to recognize the statute of limitations for the kidnapping of the wife of the Kazakh dissident.

The procedural process

In November last year, the judges of the Court of Appeal of Florence, not accepting the requests of the general prosecutor's office who had instead requested acquittal, had sentenced all the senior police officials to four years. At first instance, the five officials were sentenced by the Court of Perugia to sentences of between 4 and 5 years. In the second instance, on 9 June 2022, the Perugian judges acquitted all the accused "because the fact does not exist" from the charge of kidnapping, overturning the first degree verdict. The Court of Cassation then annulled the acquittals in October 2023, ordering a new trial before the Court of Appeal of Florence which convicted the defendants in November 2025.

Shalabayeva's expulsion with her daughter

The facts which are the subject of the proceedings refer to the night between 28 and 29 May 2013 when Alma Shalabayeva and her daughter Alua were taken by the police from their home in Casalpalocco. Law enforcement was looking for Muktar Ablyazov, husband of Alma Shalabayeva. The woman was charged with possession of a false passport. Two days later, after the expulsion was signed, Alma and her daughter were repatriated. The two women then returned to Italy and were granted political asylum. Colleagues of the policemen who ended up on trial arrived from different regions to attend the hearing at the Court of Cassation and Don Luigi Ciotti also wanted to be in the courtroom.