Corruption at Cefpas in Caltanissetta: eight people under investigation, including an ARS deputy
The State Police have served summonses on an ARS deputy and seven other people for corruption and ideological falsification at Cefpas. The Prosecutor's Office has requested custodial precautionary measures.
Investigation into corruption and ideological falsification at Cefpas: eight people summoned by the judge
The State Police have notified this morning the summonses for interrogation, issued by the judge of the Tribunal of Caltanissetta, against a deputy of the Sicilian Regional Assembly and seven other people. This is reported by questure.poliziadistato.it. Among those summoned are the acting director of Cefpas in Caltanissetta, the general manager of the ASP of Agrigento, two officials of Cefpas, a retired physician, the legal representative of a construction company and a retired regional official.
Following the preliminary investigation, the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Caltanissetta has requested the application of custodial precautionary measures for all those under investigation. The deputy is accused of the offence of corruption; the others, to varying degrees, of corruption for acts contrary to the duties of office and ideological falsification.
The charges: favours to the deputy's wife and rigged contracts
According to the Prosecutor's reconstruction, the acting director of Cefpas would have subordinated his duties to the interests of the regional deputy through a series of corrupt conduct. In particular, he would have assigned a managerial position as legal and administrative expert to a Cefpas official believed to be the parliamentarian's trusted associate, according to criteria agreed with the latter.
The deputy's wife, at the explicit request of her husband, would have been given four consultancy assignments and a fixed-term contract at Cefpas. A framework agreement would also have been signed between Cefpas and the ASP of Agrigento, again at the deputy's request, to initiate staff secondment procedures that would have allowed the wife to work in Agrigento.
Among the conduct contested is also the awarding of a contract for the realisation of a digital library to an economic operator lacking expertise in the matter, brother of a high-ranking prelate. According to the prosecution, the deputy intended to avail himself of the latter's influence over the Catholic electorate. The legal representative of a construction company, awarded a maintenance contract with Cefpas, would have been further induced to place himself at the complete disposal of the political figure.
The quid pro quo and offences contested to individual parties
As consideration for the Cefpas director's conduct, the deputy and a manager of the institution — appointed as legal and administrative expert — would have, in concert with each other, guaranteed the director his appointment to the head of the institute for three years and the maintenance of his position.
Corruption for acts contrary to the duties of office is also contested to the manager of the ASP of Agrigento, who would have signed the framework agreement with Cefpas to favour the deputy's wife in exchange for the preservation of his own directorial position. A similar charge concerns the legal representative of the construction company, who would have promised the availability of his company in exchange for favouritism in the execution of the contract.
The retired regional official, member of the evaluation committee for the assignment of the position of legal and administrative expert at Cefpas, is accused of having favoured the candidate liked by the deputy in exchange for the promise of future assignments.
The offence of ideological falsification is instead contested to a Cefpas official and a retired physician, both members of the evaluation committee for the virtual library: they would have falsely attested that the project had actually been proposed by the economic operator who won the tender.
Searches in multiple provinces, including the deputy's office
The notifications and searches delegated have been carried out this morning by officers of the Mobile Squad of Caltanissetta and the Central Operational Service of the State Police, with the collaboration of the Mobile Squads of Palermo, Agrigento and Piacenza, on the delegation of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic. Among the searches carried out is the one at the office of the deputy under investigation, with the exclusion of the structures of his political party.
The Prosecutor's Office has specified that in the present proceeding no other members of the Sicilian Regional Assembly or national parliamentarians appear to be under investigation.
Source: Google News IT — Crime (it)