September 5, 2025
SINGAPORE – The Italian swimmers who were arrested for shoplifting at Changi Airport have been banned from re-entering Singapore, the Singapore Police Force said on Sept 4.
In response to media queries, the police confirmed earlier reports that two female Italian nationals, aged 20 and 22, were arrested on Aug 14 for shoplifting.
As part of the standard procedures for cases involving foreigners arrested in Singapore, the police said they had informed the Embassy of Italy in Singapore of the case to provide consular assistance.
After considering the facts and circumstances of the case, and in consultation with Singapore’s Attorney-General’s Chambers, the police said they issued the two women a 12-month conditional warning.
In this period, the pair – Benedetta Pilato and Chiara Tarantino – are not to commit any other offences.
Both have since left Singapore and will be banned from re-entering, added the police.
Italian media had reported on Aug 29 about the alleged offence involving the pair, who were part of the Italian contingent that had competed at the July 11-Aug 3 World Aquatics Championships here.
They were detained at Changi Airport briefly by the police, having returned from a holiday in Bali before their scheduled return to Italy via Singapore. Intervention by the embassy then allowed them to be released and remain in a hotel before their repatriation, according to reports.
Italian media reported that Tarantino had been caught by surveillance cameras placing perfume products in Pilato’s suitcase.
When asked what intervention it provided in this case, the Italian embassy said it “intervened on the basis of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations to assist and provide support to the two Italian nationals involved in the case”.
The convention is an international treaty that outlines the functions of a consulate, such as protecting a state’s interests and nationals in a foreign country.
The Italian embassy did not specify how it intervened in this case in relation to the convention, but under this treaty, consular officers have the right to visit its citizens who are in prison, custody or detention, to arrange for legal representation.
“The embassy has no competence and/or knowledge of the full details on the case, which has been duly handled by the competent Singaporean authorities,” said a spokesperson for the Italian embassy in Singapore.
In response to ST’s queries, the Italian Swimming Federation said it condemns the behaviour of the two swimmers. The federation has also opened an internal investigation through its sports tribunal, which could lead to disciplinary measures, said the federation’s director of communications Francesco Passariello.
However, their case will not be subject to review by the Italian courts as “the events have been clarified” with the Singaporean authorities, he added.
The Italian national swim team’s head coach Cesare Butini lambasted the two athletes over the incident, saying that action will be taken.
“Great disappointment for behaviour that does not help anyone and certainly damages the sport in general,” he was quoted as saying by Italian daily La Repubblica in an Aug 31 report.
“I will tell them they have done something very stupid. They are ambassadors, even when they don’t wear the (national uniform). What they did is very serious. Ending up on the front page for this, no thanks.”
While Tarantino, 22, appears to have deactivated her social media accounts after the incident, Pilato, 20, issued a lengthy statement on Instagram on Aug 29 about the incident.
“Unfortunately, I was indirectly involved in an unpleasant incident handled by the Singapore airport authorities. I never intended to commit inappropriate acts,” wrote Pilato, who won a bronze in the 50m breaststroke event in Singapore.
“During days that should have been days of rest and mental relaxation, I instead went through particularly difficult times, far from home, beyond my control, but which have profoundly affected me on a human level.
“Fortunately, the matter was resolved within a few hours, without any implications, thanks in part to my utmost transparency with the airport authorities themselves,” she wrote.