Corruption, house arrest for the governor of Liguria Toti. The director of Esselunga has been investigated. Iren’s CEO is also in handcuffs
The president of the Liguria Region, Giovanni All, was arrested this morning at dawn by the soldiers of the Genoa Financial Police on charges of corruption. Toti was reached by a precautionary custody order House arrest ordered by the investigating judge of Genoa in an investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office led by Nicola Piacente into the 2020 Ligurian regional elections. 9 other people, including Matteo CozzaniToti’s chief of staff, were achieved by precautionary measures.
Genoa investigation, investigating judge: “He may commit other crimes for elections”
In the 654-page order, the investigating judge of Genoa explains the precautionary requirements regarding Giovanni Toti as follows: “There is a current and concrete danger that the suspect will commit other serious crimes of the same type as those for which proceedings are being carried out and, in particular, that he may repeat similar corrupt conduct during the next elections, placing one’s function at the service of private interests in exchange for utility. These needs can essentially be deduced from the very methods of conduct which reveal a clear systematic nature of the corruption mechanism”.
Political earthquake in Liguria, Cozzani accused of electoral corruption with the aggravating circumstances of the mafia
In detail, according to what emerges from the press release with which the Genoa Prosecutor’s Office announced the execution of the precautionary measures, Matteo Cozzanihead of cabinet of the President of the Liguria Region, Giovanni Toti, is accused of corruption for the exercise of the function and aggravated electoral corruption in order to facilitate Cosa Nostra and the Cammarata clan of the Riesi district with projection in the city of Genoa.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office led by Nicola Piacente, Cozzani, the regional coordinator of the electoral campaign for the ‘Let’s change with Toti President’ list ended up under house arrest for the elections of 20-21 September 2020 he would have promised together with the suspects Italo Maurizio Testa and Arturo Angelo Testa – representatives of the Riesi community in Genoa – jobs and the change of public housing to convey the votes of voters belonging to the Sicilian community of Genoa (at least 400 preferences) seeers President Toti’s list.
In particular, the votes would have been directed towards Stefano Anzalone (investigated without mafia aggravating circumstances) and other candidates. Giovanni Toti answers for electoral corruption in competition but without the aggravating mafia charge. Anzalone would have offered to the Testa brothers the support (food and accommodation) in Genoa in the period immediately preceding the call to the polls, between 10-19 September 2020. The investigation by the financial police, conducted with interceptions and shadowing, began with Spice and was transferred for jurisdiction to the Ligurian capital.
Political earthquake in Liguria, Iren Signorini’s CEO also in handcuffs. Spinelli is also under investigation
But not just Toti and Cozzani. Nine other people who were the recipients of coercive and interdictory measures are involved in the maxi investigation by the Genoa Prosecutor’s Office and the Financial Police. The former president of the Port Authority and current CEO of Iren, Paolo Emilio Signoriniwas arrested and taken to prison on charges of corruption in the exercise of office and for acts contrary to official duties. The well-known port entrepreneur and former president of Genoa, Aldo Spinelliis the recipient of the interdictory measure of the temporary ban on carrying out entrepreneurial and professional activities, accused of corruption against governor Toti. Against Signorini, Aldo Spinelli and his son Roberto, the investigating judge also ordered the preventive seizure of financial resources and assets for 570.000 eurodeemed profit from the alleged corruption crimes.
Corruption in Liguria, promised money to unblock the Esselunga files
In detail, according to the accusations of the Genoa Prosecutor’s Office, the president of the Liguria Region, Giovanni Toti, received money for facilitate construction practices for two supermarkets in Esselungaspeed up the renewal of port concessions and transform beaches from free to private. According to investigators Toti would have accepted and received 74,100 euros in several tranches from entrepreneurs in the logistics and real estate sector Aldo and Roberto Spinelli – the first under house arrest, the second achieved by the ban on practicing the profession – according to the ‘Giovanni Toti Committee’, sometimes as funding for participation in electoral dinners. In exchange he would have undertaken to “find a solution” for the transformation of the free beach of Punta Dell’Olmo from “free” to “private”; facilitate the process of a building procedure relating to the Punta Dell’Olmo real estate complex of interest to the two entrepreneurs and pending in the regional offices; speed up the renewal of the Terminal Rinfuse concession to the Terminal Rinfuse Genova srl company for 30 years.
The president of Liguria would also have taken action to assign the Spinelli the former Carbonile Itar and Carbonile Levante port spaces and a state-owned area of Aspi-Società Autostrade, as well as facilitating the entrepreneur in the practice of ‘tombing’ Calata Concenter. Finally, in competition with his chief of staff, Matteo Cozzani, he is accused of having accepted the promise of Francesco Moncada, director of Esselunga reached by the interdictory measure on business activitya, an “illicit financing” for the “hidden payment” of some advertising passages on the panel displayed on the Terrazza Colombo in Genoa for the municipal electoral campaign of 12 June 2022. In exchange Toti allegedly promised to unblock two Esselunga practices in the Region relating to the opening of two supermarkets in Sestri Ponente and Savona.
Genoa investigation: Nordio, perplexed by Toti’s precautionary custody
“This morning I was in Naples, I learned about this thing in the car, I don’t know the documents and as a guarantor I always think about the presumption of innocence. I seemed to understand that these are, however, facts that date back to a few years ago and that the investigation was not born today but some time ago. I have been a public prosecutor for 40 years and I have rarely asked for precautionary measures after years of investigations, taking into account that there is a risk of escape, contamination of evidence and repetition of the crime. reasons why one can be arrested and after so many years from the event that occurred and from the investigations” it is difficult for them to still exist. Having said this, not knowing the documents, I repeat my trust in the judiciary and in the presumption of innocence My doubts are never about the moment in which the precautionary measure is triggered with respect to the imminence of the elections also because in Italy we vote very often, if I have any technical doubts they concern a measure with respect to the time in which it was committed. the crime and the investigation has begun.” The Minister of Justice, Carlo Nordio, says this on the sidelines of the States General of the accountants, responding to a question on the investigation involving the president of Liguria, Giovanni Toti.
Corruption in Liguria, the Anti-Mafia Commission requests the investigation documents. Toti’s lawyer: “He’s calm”
Meanwhile, it ended around 1pm search of the offices of the Liguria Region in Piazza De Ferrari in Genoa by the Guardia di Finanza which investigated President Giovanni Toti together with others for corruption. Three plainclothes investigators came out of the main entrance holding some folders of documents and after having crossed the square on foot, without making any statements, they got into an official car. Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Anti-Mafia Commission requested the acquisition of the documents of the investigation by the DDA of Genoa and the Guardia di Finanza. Toti’s lawyer Stefano Savi he made it known that the governor is “serene and convinced that he can explain everything. The Region will continue to work, even in his absence”. “These are all facts for which we can give an explanation, because they fall within the scope of legitimate administrative activity”, he underlined. “There is no talk of resignation. It suspends the function and then we’ll see what happens. The process still needs to be done”, added Stefano Savi. “Let’s see the documents, read them and try to understand how to build the defense elements in the best possible way”. “The president is serene and calm. He wants to face the proceedings by explaining everything in detail. Sorry”, added the lawyer to reporters, “I can’t talk at the moment”.
Corruption in Liguria, Iren’s stock collapses on the stock market. CEO Signorini suspended from office
But not just political effects. The judicial earthquake that broke out in Liguria is also having an impact economic repercussions. The title of Iren in fact, it collapsed on the stock market after the news of the arrest of the CEO Paolo Emilio Signorini, for crimes linked to his previous position as president of the Ligurian Sea Port System Authority. The entrepreneur is accused of corruption in the exercise of his role and for acts contrary to his official duties. Contacted by Affaritaliani.it Iren underlined, in addition to the clear damage to its image it is suffering, that Signorini’s actions in the multi-utility have nothing to do with the investigation underway in Liguria. Now, however, several questions arise about the future of the CEO, who has already been suspended from office: will you wait for the judicial process to take its course or will we proceed first with the possible removal? The company’s board of directors meeting is on the agenda today. We just have to wait.