Guardia di Finanza Officer Arrested in Catania for Corruption
A member of the Guardia di Finanza was caught red-handed by colleagues while receiving money from an entrepreneur. He is accused of having promised to reduce amounts of debts owed to the State in exchange for payments.
Guardia di Finanza Officer Arrested in Catania for Corruption
A member of the Guardia di Finanza in Catania was apprehended red-handed by colleagues while receiving 4,000 euros from a merchant from Acireale. According to investigators' reconstruction, the payment represented part of a larger sum in exchange for alleged assistance in reducing the amount of tax collection notices.
The arrest is part of a comprehensive investigation directed by the Catania Public Prosecutor's Office into allegations of extortion, corruption and inducement to provide benefits, with public officials accused of acting against the Public Administration. The judge for preliminary investigations validated the arrest and ordered the officer to be remanded in custody, also taking into account other conduct that emerged from the investigation.
Investigators believe that the man exploited his position to offer several entrepreneurs from the foothill areas of the Catania region — including Adrano and Acireale — the possibility of avoiding tax inspections, obtaining favourable outcomes from the same inspections or reducing the sums owed to the State. In exchange, he allegedly received cash and other advantages, including compensation of around 6,000 euros for a road accident that never occurred, reported fraudulently. He is also alleged to have forced a small business owner to issue false invoices.
The Public Prosecutor's Office states that investigations are continuing to clarify numerous other matters and that the judge identified a concrete risk of evidence tampering. In the coming days, other individuals whose relationships with the public official need to be clarified will be interviewed.
Chief Prosecutor Francesco Curcio expressed appreciation for the work of the Guardia di Finanza, emphasising how the Corps carried out the delegated investigations with accuracy and promptness, in a commendable effort to bring clarity within its own institution.
Source: ANSA
Source: Google News IT — Crime (it)