Pesaro investigation, Ricci for five hours at the prosecutor's office: 'I have answered all the questions, now I return to the election campaign'

"I am very satisfied, I have answered every question and told what I know about the contested facts and my activity as mayor" After more than five hours of questioning before Pesaro Public Prosecutor Maria Letizia Fucci, former Pesaro mayor Matteo Ricci, MEP and candidate for president of the Region, left the Pesaro Guardia di Finanza barracks in his car, surrounded by reporters and photographers. "I have reiterated my absolute extraneousness to the facts,' he added, 'and indeed I have made a further contribution to ascertaining the truth. Now I am going back to what I have always done: campaigning for the people and among the people".

Ricci, who is under investigation as part of the corruption investigation into the municipality's assignments to two non-profit associations, Opera Maestra and Stella Polare, between 2019 and 2024, arrived at the headquarters of the yellow flames at 10.35 a.m., accompanied by his lawyer, Lucio Monaco, and spokesman. On arrival, he had made no statements.

As part of the investigation, which has been underway for about a year, 24 people, including municipal officials, have been served a notice of indictment, including Stefano Esposto, president of the two non-profit organisations, and Massimiliano Santini, Ricci's former communications and events collaborator, who have been implicated in an alleged agreement to favour the direct awarding of contracts that have come under scrutiny. According to the prosecution, the latter two, who have chosen not to answer the prosecution's questions so far, allegedly obtained financial advantages, while Ricci obtained a return in terms of image and consensus. The former mayor has said he is innocent of the charges and, if there was a betrayal of his trust by collaborators, he is also an injured party in the proceedings.

The investigation has shaken up the ongoing election campaign Ricci, now a Pd MEP, is candidate for president of the Marche region of the centre-left camp in the elections to be held on 28 and 29 September. His party has rinnovato il sostegno.

M5s leader Giuseppe Conte, on the other hand, is waiting for the interrogations to dissolve the reserve in terms of electoral support. From Conte, however, came words of openness: the M5s leader told all the movement's groups in the Marche region to assess the affair 'without a bloodthirsty spirit'.