Strait Bridge: Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office launches corruption investigation

The Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating allegations of corruption and breach of official secrecy in connection with the project to build the Messina Strait Bridge. According to a statement issued by the prosecutor’s office, the office has instructed the ROS Carabinieri to execute a search warrant against three individuals, including a former deputy president of the Court of Auditors (who retired last February), a lawyer who previously served on the board of directors of the company ‘Stretto di Messina Spa’, and a businessman.

The investigations have documented the conduct of the three suspects, which was aimed at influencing the Court of Auditors’ review of the legality of the approval of the final design for the construction of the public works project.

According to the statement issued by the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office, the lawyer and the businessman under investigation “with a view to influencing the aforementioned audit by the Court of Auditors in favour of the company ‘Stretto di Messina Spa’, are alleged to have approached the audit judge, promising him their support in securing positions within public bodies following his retirement, making this conditional upon his active involvement in bringing about the aforementioned requirement”.

According to the prosecution’s case, the “two are also alleged to have attempted to approach other magistrates deemed useful to the group’s interests in the construction of the infrastructure project, and to have disclosed to third parties information covered by professional secrecy, obtained from the under-investigation judge of the Court of Auditors. The latter, for his part, is alleged to have offered – as stated in the note – his cooperation, providing constant updates on the progress of the proceedings conducted by the Court of Auditors, and revealing confidential information regarding the views of his fellow magistrates and the proceedings of the relevant Chamber of Council during the Court’s plenary session”. Furthermore, the accounting magistrate “is alleged to have examined the unfavourable decision of 29 October 2025, undertaking to prepare, in the interests of ‘Stretto di Messina Spa’, a brief on the matter to be delivered to the company’s accountant, expressing, in return, an interest in becoming President of the Competition Authority or of an associated company”.

During the searches carried out in Rome, the province of Reggio Calabria and the province of Frosinone, “various electronic devices and documents were found and seized; these will be subjected to specific assessments and analyses to determine their evidential value in relation to the alleged offences”.