TLDR: some scammers impersonating the difense minister got 1 or more entrepeneurs to send them big payments quickly. The public discourse is around the "normalcy" of private entrepeneurs about sending money to elected officials
The situation was a bit more complex: the "minister" asks help to transfer some money in an Hong Kong bank account to release some Italians detained somewhere. Also logos of Bank of Italy was used.
It was a really well architect fraud.