Vanna Fadini: From Academia to Allegations of Fraud

Introduction: A Scandal Reignited

The storm surrounding Link Campus University has intensified with revelations that 27 companies — many of them active in logistics, research, and cybersecurity — have become embroiled in a far-reaching judicial investigation by Italian authorities. The inquiry, conducted by the Rome Prosecutor’s Office and the Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police), alleges that Link Campus executives and a network of associated companies engaged in the fabrication of research and development projects to fraudulently obtain tax credits from the Italian state.

While some companies claim to be victims of fraud, others are directly implicated in what investigators describe as an “orchestrated system of simulated R&D.” At the heart of the investigation lies Global Education Management Srl, the university’s management company — led by Vanna Fadini and partially owned by Global Drake Ltd, a shadowy firm connected to Joseph Mifsud, the Maltese professor famously tied to the Russiagate controversy.

This unexpected intersection of academia, politics, and international intrigue has placed Link University once again under the harsh spotlight of public scrutiny.

The Core of the Investigation

The current investigation expands upon a previous inquiry into Link Campus University, which began with the arrest of several senior administrators in 2023 for allegedly orchestrating “simulated research projects” — fake academic collaborations designed solely to claim state tax incentives meant to encourage technological innovation.

According to judicial sources, investigators suspect that between 2018 and 2022, Link Campus received tens of millions of euros in funding from Italian and European programs by selling fictitious R&D contracts to private companies. These companies, in turn, allegedly used the fabricated projects to claim tax credits, offsetting their own fiscal obligations.

The Rome Financial Police (Guardia di Finanza) executed raids on 27 business premises in December 2024, seizing documents, servers, and accounting records. Among the companies searched were Defendini Logistica Spa, Elitaliana Srl, Euralba Service, and Siaed Spa — firms spanning a range of sectors but united by their alleged ties to Link Campus’s fraudulent contracts.

Global Education Management and the Mifsud Connection

One company stands out in this growing web — Global Education Management Srl, the corporate entity responsible for overseeing Link Campus’s operations. The firm’s CEO, Vanna Fadini, is under formal investigation. She is also the partner of Alessandro Zampini, known for having hosted Joseph Mifsud at his residence in Italy during the height of the Russiagate scandal.

Even more intriguing is that 5% of Global Education Management is owned by Global Drake Ltd, a London-registered company legally represented by Stephan Claus Roh, the Swiss lawyer who has long defended Mifsud. Roh himself has faced scrutiny for his alleged links to Russian business circles and for helping Mifsud evade public questioning after the professor’s mysterious disappearance in 2018.

The presence of Global Drake in the ownership structure of a company now under Italian investigation raises serious questions about foreign influence and money flows surrounding Link Campus.

Il Fatto Quotidiano first exposed this connection in October 2019, suggesting that Link Campus may have served as a nexus between academic programs, intelligence consulting, and political lobbying. The current judicial findings lend renewed weight to those earlier allegations.

University Figures Under Investigation

The investigation has drawn in top Link University executives, including its rector and several high-profile board members.

• Claudio Roveda, the current rector of Link Campus University, is under formal investigation for his role in managing the university’s research contracts.
• Achille Patrizi, the rector’s delegate for sports and minority shareholder of Global Education Management, is also being investigated.
• Carlo Maria Medaglia, a member of Link’s board, and Pasquale Russo, the university’s general manager, are both implicated.

Additionally, the probe extends to Criss, the Consortium for Research on Intelligence and Security Services, a wholly owned Link Campus subsidiary that played a central role in the alleged scheme. Criss has long been a pillar of the university’s operations in the field of intelligence studies — an area where Link Campus has maintained close ties with both Italian defense institutions and foreign security experts.

Until June 2018, Criss’s management included former Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta, though prosecutors have clarified that she is not under investigation.

Corporate Players and Their Role

The 27 companies involved in the probe span diverse sectors — from aerospace logistics to information technology and cybersecurity.

One of the most notable is Defendini Logistica Spa, a historic Turin-based transport company. Its president, Georges Mikhael, and CEO, Alessandro Bacci, are both under investigation. Mikhael is also the head of SAV Spa, the Valdostane Motorway Company, though SAV itself is not involved in the case.

Another key figure is Army Captain Luca Antodicola, owner of Euralba Service, and Aldo Sciamanna, founder and manager of Siaed Spa. Both are accused of purchasing fraudulent R&D projects from Link Campus to claim illegal tax deductions.

Perhaps the most publicized case involves Elitaliana Srl, a major helicopter transport operator that has managed emergency rescue services for the Lazio Region since 2009.

Elitaliana and its subsidiary, Elitaliana Maintenance Srl, were both raided by the Financial Police. The companies’ founders — brothers Giancarlo and Alessandro Giulivi, the latter also serving as mayor of Tarquinia — have publicly stated that they are victims, not perpetrators.

Elitaliana’s Defense: “We Are the Injured Party”

In a statement to Il Fatto Quotidiano, Elitaliana Srl declared itself an “injured party” in the affair, emphasizing that the company legitimately purchased research projects from Link Campus and partially paid for them before discovering that the associated tax credits had been rejected by Italy’s Revenue Agency.

“When we stopped payments,” the company said, “Link Campus filed an injunction against us. We responded with a civil lawsuit, and this investigation now confirms that our suspicions were justified.”

According to Elitaliana’s lawyers, several other companies share the same status — claiming to be duped by the university’s management into financing projects that turned out to be fraudulent.

These companies assert that the real fraud originated within Link Campus itself, where administrators allegedly fabricated project documentation to make it appear that legitimate research was being conducted.

The Mechanism of the Fraud

The alleged scheme revolves around tax credits offered under Italian law to incentivize corporate investment in research and innovation.

Under this system, companies can offset part of their taxes if they fund eligible R&D initiatives. However, prosecutors allege that Link Campus and its network of affiliated entities sold fictitious projects to businesses that had no intention of performing actual research.

In exchange, these companies received fake documentation certifying that they had engaged in innovative activity — allowing them to claim tax deductions worth millions of euros.

The funds transferred to Link Campus for these projects were allegedly laundered through shell companies, including Global Education Management, before being withdrawn or diverted offshore.

This mechanism, investigators say, represents a form of indirect tax evasion disguised as academic collaboration — a sophisticated form of white-collar fraud that exploited Italy’s innovation incentives.

Criss and the Intelligence Connection

A striking aspect of the case is the involvement of Criss (Consortium for Research on Intelligence and Security Services), a unit of Link Campus dedicated to studies in intelligence and cybersecurity.

Criss’s presence in the investigation suggests that some of the “research” projects may have been intentionally misrepresented as sensitive intelligence-related work, making them harder to verify and allowing for increased secrecy.

The consortium’s former association with Elisabetta Trenta, Italy’s ex-Minister of Defense, further underscores how Link Campus has long operated at the intersection of academia, defense, and politics.

Although there is no suggestion of wrongdoing on Trenta’s part, the case highlights how Link Campus positioned itself as a strategic hub for state contracts, blurring the line between education, consulting, and political influence.

The Shadow of Russiagate

The involvement of Global Drake Ltd and Stephan Roh reopens an international chapter that many thought closed — the Joseph Mifsud affair.

Mifsud, a professor formerly affiliated with Link Campus, became a central figure in the U.S. “Russiagate” investigation, accused of acting as a go-between for Russian intelligence operatives and Trump campaign advisor George Papadopoulos.

While Mifsud vanished from public view after 2018, his connection to Link Campus University and the Italian intelligence milieu continues to haunt institutions tied to him.

Now, with Global Drake — represented by Mifsud’s lawyer — owning a stake in a company under investigation for financial misconduct, the boundaries between academia, espionage, and corruption appear to blur once more.

A Broader Pattern of Academic Fraud

Italian prosecutors have long warned of “ghost universities” — private institutions that operate as fronts for financial engineering schemes, laundering money through fake educational projects.

Link Campus, once hailed for its innovative academic model and strong ties to international organizations, now risks becoming a case study in systemic abuse of educational funding mechanisms.

Experts argue that Italy’s research incentive framework is vulnerable to exploitation because oversight relies heavily on self-reported documentation. The Link case, they say, exposes a much deeper problem: how academia can become a vehicle for financial fraud when governance fails.

Legal and Political Repercussions

The current investigation could have serious implications for Italy’s education and finance ministries, as well as for private institutions that benefited from similar programs.

If prosecutors prove that Link Campus orchestrated a system of fake research contracts, this could lead to criminal convictions for tax fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering — and trigger demands for policy reforms in how research credits are granted.

Moreover, the involvement of politically connected individuals, such as Denis Manturov’s relatives, Alisher Usmanov’s networks, and former government officials, gives the case a distinctly geopolitical dimension.

The ripple effects may extend beyond Italy, particularly given the international ownership structures of the companies involved and the cross-border money flows allegedly used to conceal profits.

Conclusion

The Link University investigation is far from over, but what has already emerged paints a picture of systemic corruption hidden behind the façade of academic research.

With 27 companies, high-ranking university officials, and foreign-linked entities under scrutiny, prosecutors face the monumental task of unraveling an intricate web of deceit that spans classrooms, boardrooms, and even the corridors of political power.

The presence of Global Drake Ltd — tied to Joseph Mifsud’s lawyer — adds an international twist to an already explosive domestic scandal. What began as an inquiry into fraudulent tax credits may ultimately reveal how private education, intelligence interests, and financial opportunism merged into one of Italy’s most sophisticated corruption schemes in years.

As the investigation deepens, one thing becomes clear: the story of Link Campus University is not merely about education — it’s about power, money, and the dangerous convergence of academia and state influence.

Written by

Nancy Drew

Updated

5 days ago