A conference with a very high specific weight is organized by the Department of Political Sciences of the Federico II University of Naples which will be held on the web on Monday 19 April from 17.30 to 19.30. Both for the institutional depth of the speakers, and for the devastating social implications that the Covid-19 crisis is generating on families and businesses and their access to credit. The title of the conference is “Law 108/96 on usury, critical issues and new emergencies” (Zoom platform https://zoom.us/join, ID: 89314077464; passcode: 722666).
The speakers
Among the speakers, the National Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor, Federico Cafiero de Raho, Carlo Chiappinelli, President of the Central Control Section on the Management of State Administrations of the Court of Auditors, Giovanna Cagliostro, Prefect and extraordinary commissioner of the Government for the coordination of the initiatives anti-racket and anti-usury, the Prefect of Naples Marco Valentini and, again, Antonella Sciarrone Alibrandi, pro-rector of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milan and member of the Financial Information Authority of the Vatican City, to conclude will be Biagio Riccio lawyer and president of the ‘Favor Debitoris’ association which has long been involved in combating credit abuses. The moderator will be Giacomo di Gennaro, professor of juridical sociology of deviance and social change at the Federico II University of Naples.
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The clandestine branches
“The economic crisis triggered by the pandemic – explains Riccio – is overwhelming millions of families and businesses that will be excluded for debts, often even minimal, from the financial circuit, becoming easy prey to credit managed by the underworld (which certainly has no liquidity problems) and usurers who constitute the extreme tip of the credit managed by the underworld and the “clandestine branches” ».
The faults of law 108/96
«In this phase – continues Riccio – we need to rethink about some points of law 108 of 1996 which marked a turning point in the direct commitment of the State to fight usury. After 25 years, however, some faults have appeared in the regulatory system that require revision, given that these faults have even been used by the mafias to grab public resources for the victims -. And Riccio continues – A recent research published in the legal journal of Southern Italy, gives an account and is the first, just at the moment when the economic crisis following the pandemic, creates a space for the development of usury even greater than that which pushed forces lay women and Catholics to unite to obtain law 108 in 1996 ».
Criticalities
And Riccio adds: “it is therefore necessary to carefully identify through which faults in the system the underworld has managed to infiltrate and defraud the Fund for the prevention of usury, managed by the Treasury through foundations, associations and Confidi which, according to recent reports judicial may further be subject to assaults. A further careful study is therefore necessary to clarify the various critical issues and summarize the many proposals for reform of the legislation, including the contribution that will be discussed at the conference ».