Overview
- The Procurator of Padua opened a procedimento a modello 45 on Oct. 8, 2026, creating a preliminary investigative file without suspects or charges to verify an esposto about the Camera Arbitrale Islamica Italiana.
- The association, formed in March and registered with a codice fiscale in Padua, says on its statute and website that it will resolve civil and commercial disputes in conformity with Shari'a and that its rulings will have the same effect as an Italian court decision.
- Founder Omar Vanin, a lawyer and academic, argues the chamber is a private arbitration body whose awards remain subject to appeal and to Italian public‑order limits, including review by the Court of Appeal.
- The Unione delle Comunità Islamiche d'Italia publicly disavowed the group as unauthorised by Muslim communities, and national politicians from Lega and Fratelli d’Italia demanded checks and raised concerns about parallel justice.
- Under Italian law, private arbitration can bind parties but cannot decide on non‑arbitrable matters or enforce rules that violate fundamental public‑order principles, so the probe will test whether the Padua body stays within those legal limits and what effect any activity could have on community trust and court workloads.