Papadia was ambassador to Uzbekistan from December 2024 to December 2025. According to investigators, after taking up the position, he took over supervision of the visa department. Shortly thereafter, he arranged for Tarakanova, a Russian-Italian citizen who had previously worked with Papadia at the Italian consulate in Moscow, to be transferred to this department.
According to investigators, Papadia and Tarakanova were involved in issuing long-term Schengen visas to Russians – for a fee, of course. Russians were to pay from PLN 4,000 to PLN 16,000 for a visa. euro. Three Russian travel agencies, all registered in Moscow at the same address, also participated in the operation.
At least 95 clients of these offices entered Italy on the basis of visas issued contrary to the regulations. The names of most Russians were not included in the embassy entry register, which means they did not appear at the consulate in person.
