"I am sure of my good faith, but I resign". With these words written in black and white in a letter addressed to the premier Matteo Renzi who is on a mission in the USA, the Minister of Economic Development Federica Guidi has announced her resignation. The decision came within hours of the publication of thetelephone interception with his partner, investigated by the Potenza prosecutor's office as part of an investigation into the hydrocarbon extraction activity in Tempa Rossa, in Basilicata. The magistrates arrived at this investigation starting from another line of investigation, on the Eni plant in Val d'Agri again, in Basilicata, which led to the arrest of 5 employees of the oil group accused of having irregularly disposed of toxic waste related to plant production.
In the few lines sent to the premier, the minister says she is "absolutely certain" of his good faith and correctness but adds that she believes the resignation is necessary due to "political expediency".
According to the reconstruction of La Repubblica, it would have been right the Premier to telephone the minister to ask for her resignation: “Because it is a complicated position to defend – he would have said – and because the oppositions have already jumped on us”. Renzi then released a note in which he granted the honors of arms to Guidi: “Dear Federica, I have greatly appreciated your work over the years. I respect your personal choice, painful, dictated by reasons of opportunity that I share. In the meantime, I send you a big hug”. It will be the prime minister who will assume the role of minister of development on an interim basis.
The Prosecutor of Potenza, according to a statement from the Basilicata Police Headquarters, has placed it under investigation Gianluca Gemini, companion of the minister, with the hypothesis of crime, among others, of trafficking in illicit influences in the context of the "Tempa Rossa" investigation. The note adds that the Gemelli companies were also searched.
However, what first provoked the harsh reaction of the opposition and then the resignation of the minister was a telephone interception, contained in an arrest warrant of one of the suspects, which Reuters read and reported, in which Minister Guidi, specifying that also the Minister for Reforms Maria Elena Boschi was in agreement, announces to her companion the reinsertion in the Finance Act of an amendment useful for his activities.
According to the police release, Gemelli was made aware by the minister of the imminent approval of an amendment to the 2015 Stability law which facilitated Total in carrying out the Tempa Rossa oil extraction project, effectively bypassing the regional authorizations of Basilicata and Puglia, contrary to the plan. Gemelli, contacted by Reuters, declined to comment.
THE PHONE CALL BETWEEN THE MINISTER AND GEMELLI
In the interception of the telephone file, reported by Reuters, Guidi speaks on the phone with his partner and says: "We should be able to put in the Senate if ... Maria Elena also agrees ... that amendment that they let me out that night . At four in the morning… Bring it back into the law… with the amendment to the stability law and at this point if we manage to unblock Tempa Rossa as well… er… everything will move on the other side!”. The companion asks her if it concerned her friends and the minister replies: “Oh sure, understand? That's why I told you."
Immediately afterwards Gemelli, who is also commissioner of Confindustria Syracuse, called the Total representative: "I'm calling to give you some good news.. um... you remember that some time ago there was a mess... that they had withdrawn an amendment... which is why there were again problems regarding Tempa Ross… it seems that today they will be able to insert him again in the Senate… which is why… if it passes… and it seems that there is an agreement with Boschi and his companions…(…) if this amendment passes… that it seems… everyone agrees… because Boschi has agreed to include it… (…) everything is unlocked! (laughs ed)…I wanted you to know in advance! (…) and therefore this is news…”.
RED TIME AND TOTAL
“Gemelli – reads the press release from the Police Headquarters – is being investigated among other things also for trafficking in illicit influences, having enjoyed a position of respect and benevolence in the context of the commercial relations established with the company Total – obtaining for example an immediate release of the award of a sub-contract with the company Tecnimont (both companies interested in the realization of the "Tempa Rossa" project) -, the result of the extreme availability (clearly implied by a purpose connected to interests of a entrepreneurial) that the same would have shown towards Total, spending his position of closeness to the Minister of Economic Development".
In particular, the police statement continues, this influence of his would have been spent "in relation to the events and steps concerning the approval of an amendment to the 2015 stability law, which would have also unblocked the Tempa Rossa project - i.e. the possibility of connection to the Snam Rete Gas network and to the Taranto refinery oil pipeline”.
According to the ordinance, the investigation concerns a total of 24 people with the hypotheses of crime, for various reasons, of proper and improper corruption, extortion, undue induction to give or promise benefits, trafficking in illicit influences, embezzlement, aggravated fraud for the obtaining public funds and electoral corruption.
The carabinieri del Noe announced on Thursday morning the arrest of 5 officials and employees of Eni as part of a parallel line of investigation by the Potenza prosecutor's office which hypothesizes the crime of waste trafficking for the Viggiano oil centre. From that investigation, through the interceptions collected, the second trend was opened concerning the plant for the production of hydrocarbons in Tempa Rossa in Basilicata. Eni, in a press release on the matter, ensures maximum collaboration to the magistrates and specifies that it has temporarily suspended the employees involved in the investigations, to facilitate the completion of internal checks. The group has suspended production (75 barrels per day), confirms "compliance with the legal requirements and international best practices" and for this reason intends to ask for the availability of the assets located in the areas now under seizure by the judiciary .
The investigation comes two weeks after the referendum held on the possibility or otherwise of extending off-shore oil concessions and further exacerbates the political confrontation on the energy issue.
