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Francesco Flauto, detained in Romania, will soon return to Italy

Francesco Flauto (born in Battipaglia on 14 December 1991) was apprehended in Constanța, Romania, on 30 April 2023, on charges of drug trafficking and possession. The Italian national was arrested along with another Italian citizen as part of a police operation separate from the one that led to the arrest of three other Italian nationals on 3 May 2023.

On 23 January 2024, Mr. Flauto was sentenced to 4 years and 2 months, a sentence that became final due to Mr. Flauto’s decision not to appeal.

Following the final ruling, on 14 February 2024, Mr. Flauto was transferred from the Constanța-Poarta Alba penitentiary to the Bucharest-Rahova prison to serve his sentence. Subsequently, Mr. Flauto submitted a formal request to be transferred to Italy to serve the remainder of his sentence.

The Italian Embassy in Bucharest, in close coordination with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been following Mr. Flauto’s case from the outset, providing necessary assistance through frequent consular visits, including by the Head of Mission, and repeatedly raising awareness with local authorities about his health condition, compliance with European standards regarding detention conditions, and the expectation that Romanian authorities would swiftly authorise Mr. Flauto’s transfer to Italy.

During his mission to Bucharest on 6 and 7 March, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, urged his counterpart, Luminița Odobescu, and the Romanian Minister of Justice, Alina Gorghiu, to ensure that prison conditions met European standards and to facilitate the transfer to Italy.

Thanks also to the awareness efforts by the Embassy, the Romanian authorities favorably considered Mr. Flauto’s request to be transferred to Italy: on 14 July 2024, Mr. Flauto’s lawyer confirmed to the Embassy that the Court of Appeal in Italy recognised the Romanian sentence on 12 July 2024. Some procedural steps between the respective Ministries of Justice and Interior of the two countries will be necessary, after which the Romanian authorities can arrange Mr. Flauto’s transfer in coordination with the Italian authorities.

The Italian Embassy in Bucharest, in close cooperation with the Italian Foreign Ministry’s Unit for the Protection of Italians Abroad, will continue to closely monitor Mr. Flauto’s situation, providing the necessary consular assistance to facilitate his swift transfer to Italy.

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