TRAPANI (ITALPRESS) – More than 60 financiers from the Provincial Command of Trapani are executing 14 personal precautionary measures issued by the Courts of Marsala and Trapani, at the request of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office – Palermo office – and the Marsala Public Prosecutor’s Office, against well-known politicians from the Trapani area who have held and/or hold important positions at the municipal, regional and, in one case, national level. At the same time, multiple house and room searches are also underway in the provinces of Trapani and Palermo aimed at seeking and acquiring further evidence and investigative findings. Today’s operations are part of a complex and articulated investigation activity, carried out by the Trapani Economic-Financial Police Nucleus of the Guardia di Finanza under the direction of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Marsala Public Prosecutor’s Office, which has made it possible to unveil the commission of multiple crimes of aggravated fraud for the obtainment of public funds, corruption, embezzlement and conduct of money laundering and self-laundering.
The main promoter and organizer of the offenses perpetrated was a former Senator of the Republic as well as a former Deputy of the Sicilian Regional Assembly and Assessor of the Sicilian Region, permanently assisted – among others – by an Executive of M.P.A. (“Movement for Autonomy”) as well as of the V.I.A. Movement (“Values, Commitment, Action”), a member of the V.I.A. movement of Marsala, and a former councilman of the municipality of Cinisi (PA), interested in seeking and acquiring growing support around the V.I.A. political movement, expanding its composition and area of influence in the Trapani and regional territory, also with a view to subsequent electoral rounds. In order to achieve illicit enrichment and pursue the ambitious political project, the main suspects, making instrumental use of the entities CE.SI.FO.P. (Sicilian Center for Vocational Training), I.R.E.S. (Institute of Economic and Social Studies and Research) and Tai Association, unduly obtained funding encumbered by the European Social Fund Operational Program 2014/2020 for more than 8.7 million euros to be allocated to the conduct of training courses and projects in the social sphere, some of which were not held, as ascertained in the investigation. Of the said sum, about eight hundred thousand euros have already been received and used to incur personal voluptuous expenses or related to initiatives to support the V.I.A. political movement and election campaigns, and an additional 2.5 million would be disbursed shortly.
Therefore, in execution of the orders issued by the prosecuting judicial authorities, the Finance Police carried out the seizure, also for equivalent, of approximately 1 million euros, equal to the amount of the embezzled or laundered sums, as well as the preventive seizure of the remaining approximately 8 million euros already financed. The investigations have also made it possible to ascertain how six local politicians – four of whom are currently councilors in the municipalities of Marsala and Custonaci – and, above all, their relatives, despite lacking the requisites and required skills, were assigned or promised job positions, appointments and promotions at the aforementioned training institutions, in exchange for guaranteed support for the aforementioned political movement. Among the 24 individuals altogether under investigation, six other political figures who hold or have held positions in the municipalities of Marsala, Buseto Palizzolo, Calatafimi-Segesta, Castellammare del Golfo and Erice are also involved in the crimes of aggravated fraud for obtaining public funds, embezzlement and money laundering.
photo: screenshot video Guardia di Finanza
(ITALPRESS).
