The Philippine Consulate General in Milan on Tuesday said that criminal charges against individuals behind the Italy-based Alpha Assitenza SRL, which defrauded hundreds of Filipinos, are expected to be filed in "two weeks."
In a statement, the Consulate said it expects cases of aggravated fraud against officials of Alpha Assistenza SRL to be filed in two weeks by lawyer Bruno de Blasi, the Italian lawyer who was selected to represent the 100 complainants based in Italy.
Alpha Assistenza SRL, an Italy-based immigration consultancy firm allegedly duped over 400 Filipinos who paid exorbitant fees for relatives in the Philippines to secure what later turned out to be non-existent jobs in Italy.
The Consulate awarded De Blasi the contract to provide legal services to the complainants on 19 November after submitting the competitive proposal among four lawyers who expressed interest in the case.
De Blasi would represent a total of 269 Filipinos in the Philippines who were said to have been made to pay at least €3,000.00 each for jobs in Italy under the Decreto flussi program that later turned out to be non-existent.
"The hiring of a lawyer to represent complainants against Alpha Assistenza in Italy was among the recommendations made by Consul General Cato to the Department of Foreign Affairs as early as 31 August 2023," the Consulate said.
It noted that the recommendation came a few days after the Consulate launched an investigation into the complaints filed by an initial nine individuals against Alpha Assistenza CEO Diane Krizelle Respicio.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo approved the endorsement of Migrant Workers Affairs Undersecretary Jose Eduardo De Vega to assist the complainants using the Legal Assistance Fund of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Earlier this week, a total of 48 of at least 62 victims of the Alpha Assistenza SRL have already filed their complaints before the Department of Justice.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has vowed to ensure that justice is served for the victims of the said fraudulent scheme.
