'Laid-off' pilots probed for fraud - update

(ANSA) - Rome, February 9 - Rome prosecutors are probing 36 Italian pilots who claimed lay-off benefits in Italy while working for foreign airlines abroad, judicial sources said Monday. Some pilots said they "forgot" to notify the relevant agencies when they found new employment and were no longer eligible for benefits, sources said. The national social benefits agency INPS first began to flag suspicious cases in March 2012. Pilots were said to be earning salaries of between 12,000 euros and 15,000 euros.