Swiss canton revokes residence permits of suspected mafia members
The residence permits of the four alleged mafia members living in Roveredo in canton Graubünden have been permanently revoked. No appeal has been filed against the move.
The four people in question had been arrested in France and Italy last February as part of an international anti-drug operation. Suspected of having links to the Camorra and the Ndrangheta, they held B residence permits in Roveredo. Over the summer, the Office for Migration and Civil Law of Graubünden had ordered the withdrawal of their permits, a decision which has now become final without any objections.
One of them had been granted a B permit in Chur in 2021, after Ticino had refused to grant him a residence permit.
“The office can revoke permits – particularly within the EU/EFTA area – only in exceptional cases,” explained office head Niculin Mosca to news agency Keystone-SDA. This is because jurisdiction over expulsions from the country lies with the criminal courts. The refusal to issue a permit is subject to slightly less restrictive conditions. It may be refused in the event of serious criminal convictions. According to Mosca, this too is a practice that occurs rarely. “In recent years, there have been fewer than 10 such cases on average,” he added.
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Following the Roveredo case, the Canton of Graubünden introduced, with effect from mid-August this year in the Moesa region, a requirement to submit a criminal record for residence permit applicants, seasonal workers and cross-border commuters from EU/EFTA states. This measure, designed to combat organised crime, will remain in force until the end of December 2026.
“This temporary adjustment to procedure is intended to ensure security and prevention, and provides the authorities with further information to assess permit applications. Its effectiveness, practicality and added value will be assessed at the end of the year,” Mosca explained at the time in an interview.
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