Nigerian citizens living in Italy won about 500 000 euro on scratch cards, but instead of celebrating, he got into serious trouble. Because he was illegally in the country at the time of the win, he encountered a wall of bureaucracy that blocked his access to money for a few months.
The man volunteered to receive the win, but the Italian authorities could not immediately hand over the funds. First they had to verify his identity and legal status. As a result, he was formally rich for a long time, but he did not really have access to his own money.
Additional problems
One more incident has complicated the case. The man tried to entrust the formalities to a friend who, however, began to treat the win as his own money. It was only the intervention of other members of the community that partially secured the funds.
Eventually, the case went to court in Ancona. The court granted the man Special protection (special residence permit), taking into account its integration into Italian society, good knowledge of the language and the fact that it had no legal problems before.
With this decision he could regulate his status and finally gain access to the win.
Paradox of Italian bureaucracy
History This shows how complicated the procedures in Italy can be, even in case of such positive events as a large win. The man who legally won moneyfor many months, he could not use them solely due to lack of regulated residence status.
The case ended with a happy ending and after receiving special protection a man could finally collect his winnings.
What do you think? Was Italian bureaucracy right in this case, or was it too formal? Let me know in the comments.
