Another wave of arrests for corruption throughout Italy. The raid is the result of two separate operations by the Carabinieri of Rome and the Guardia di Finanza of Genoa. The first investigation concerns the sixth macrolot of the A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria motorway e the People Mover of Pisa, the second instead has to do with the Genoa-Milan Tav.
Illustrious names stand out in the investigation. One is the entrepreneur Giandomenico Monorchio (son of the former accountant general of the State Andrea Monorchio) arrested this morning by the carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Rome. The other, who appears to be under investigation on the loose, is Giuseppe Lunardi, also an entrepreneur, as well as son of the former powerful PDL Minister for Transport and Infrastructure of the Berlusconi government, Pietro Lunardi.
In detail, the Finance is executing 14 precautionary custody orders against entrepreneurs and managers involved in the works for the construction of the Third Genoa-Milan railway crossing. The suspects are accused, for various reasons, of corruption, extortion and bid rigging in relation to orders for 324 million euros.
The high-speed line called "Terzo Valico di Giovi" has been defined as being of "national strategic interest": it will connect Genoa to Milan and should be ready by 2021. The Ligurian Tav is a work worth 6,2 billion and has l The goal is to enhance the connections of the port system of Liguria with the main railway lines of northern Italy and the rest of Europe. It extends for 53 kilometres, of which 37 in tunnels. The Cipe has set a spending limit of 6,2 billion for the Cociv consortium – a giant that includes Salini Impregilo, Condotte and Civ – which will have to build the six lots.
In addition to the precautionary measures, issued by the Gip of the Court of Genoa, the men of the Guardia di Finanza are carrying out a few dozen searches in various Italian regions. Overall, according to what is learned, there are more than 20 suspects.
In recent months, the investigation in Genoa has intersected with a similar activity initiated by the Carabinieri of the provincial command of Rome, which in turn are carrying out precautionary measures in various regions against 21 people held responsible, for various reasons, of conspiracy, corruption and attempted extortion. Investigators hypothesize a criminal association that would have used corruption to obtain subcontracting contracts not only in the works of a section of the Milan-Genoa high-speed train, but also of the sixth Macrolotto of the A3 Salerno-Reggio Calabria and of the People Mover of Pisa.
The investigation, called "Amalgama", triggered arrests in various regions: Lazio, Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria, Tuscany, Abruzzo, Umbria and Calabria. The investigation allegedly reconstructed the illicit conduct of a group of people set up, organized and promoted by the person who, until 2015, was the director of works in the context of the three public works concerned and by his de facto partner, a Calabrian entrepreneur in the branch of road constructions. The latter made use of the contribution of 9 other people, including some officials of the Cociv consortium.
