Italy had dismissed the head of its visa office in Erbil, Iraq, following reports that visas were sold for thousands of euros, some to people rejected by other countries as security risks. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that an investigation of its consulate in the capital of Iraq's Kurdish region had found irregularities and the head of the visa section in Erbil had been relieved of his duties. <br/><br/>An Italian newspaper,Corriere della Sera, had earlier reported that Kurds and Syrian refugees had been forced to pay up to 10,000 euros for a visa instead of the standard fee of 90 US dollars. It said some visas to enter Italy were issued to people who had been refused by other European countries on security grounds.