Mps, individuals and companies investigated for 15% placement

Individuals and legal persons, i.e. companies, are under investigation by the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office in the investigation that aims to shed light on the acquisition of 15% of Mps shares through Banca Akros last November by Delfin of the Del Vecchio family, the Caltagirone group, Banco Bpm and Anima. The Milan Public Prosecutor's Office intends to carry out all the necessary investigations as soon as possible, according to rumours reported by news agencies.

The investigation stems from a defamation lawsuit filed by Mediobanca for some articles published since January 2025 and deemed damaging, and was then extended to some operations related to the banking resiko underway in Italy. With regard to the Mps chapter, Banca Akros, which is part of the Banco Bpm group and managed the operation at the centre of the investigation, assures that everything was done according to the rules: "In its role as global coordinator and bookrunner of the procedure" the bank "conducted the same in a correct and transparent manner, in full compliance with the rules and practices that regulate such operations, with the participation of hundreds of institutional investors, through an IT platform".

There is, of course, the utmost secrecy on the names of the persons and companies included in the Model 21 file, because the suspects have reportedly not been notified of any act with the hypothesis of crime at the moment. So far, the only external activity in the investigation in a single file has been the acquisition in early May of documents in Banca Akros, which is not under investigation, and which placed the package of Mps shares on behalf of the MEF. With a production order, the Guardia di Finanza requested, among other things, emails and communications related to the transaction.

Last November, the Mef sold 15% of Monte dei Paschi through accelerated book building (Abb). The share was bought for 8% by the Banco Bpm-Anima pole, while the Caltagirone group and the Del Vecchio family's Delfin each acquired 3.5%. Purchases all took place at a premium price of 5% and almost simultaneously. Two aspects on which the public prosecutor's office may decide to carry out some verifications.

In addition, the investigations will have to shed light on the existence or otherwise of an alleged convergence of interests between the 'actors', not declared to the market, as well as on the congruity of the sale price of the shares. The investigators of the Gdf's Special Currency Police Unit, with prosecutors Giovanni Polizzi and Luca Gaglio, coordinated by Deputy Prosecutor Roberto Pellicano and Prosecutor Marcello Viola, are working on checks on several fronts of the 'banking risiko' and intend to complete their investigations as soon as possible. No reports from Consob or other supervisory authorities in the sector would be activated at the moment in the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office.