Shalabayeva case, appeal ordered for the five defendants

The Court of Cassation has ordered an appeal ter for the five policemen involved in the Shalabayeva case. The defendants, including the former head of the Rome mobile police Renato Cortese and of the Immigration office Maurizio Improta, are accused of the kidnapping of Alma Shalabayeva's daughter while all were recognized as having expired the statute of limitations for the kidnapping of her mother.

On appeal they were sentenced to 4 years in Florence.

The judge, in his requisition in which he had requested a new appeal process, distinguished the actions of the then leaders of the Flying Squad from that of the Immigration office. In particular, the prosecutor Alesandro Cimmino asked for a ter appeal for the former head of Mobile, 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 Improta Immigration and for the official of that office Vincenzo Tramma, a new appeal was requested limited to the generic extenuating circumstances, considering instead that the intent linked to the kidnapping of the minor did exist.