Santanché, investigation for fraud on Cig for Covid closed. Minister: evaluation after Gup decision
Two companies involved: Visibilia Editore and Visibilia Concessionaria
3' min read
3' min read
The Milan Public Prosecutor's Office served notice of the conclusion of preliminary investigations (415 bis) on the minister Daniela Santanchè and four other persons: two natural persons and two legal persons. The natural persons are the minister's companion Dimitri Kunz D'Asburgo and Paolo Giuseppe Concordia, head of the treasuries of the Visibilia group companies. The legal persons are the two companies Visibilia Editore and Visibilia Concessionaria. The alleged offence is aggravated fraud to the detriment of the State. While the two companies have been charged with the administrative liability of legal entities under 2001 Law 231.
The investigation
.The investigation was coordinated by Deputy Prosecutor Laura Pedio and by Prosecutors Giuseppina Gravina and Luigi Luzi, and the investigations were conducted by the Milan Guardia di Finanza's Economic and Financial Police Unit. More in detail, the notice of closure of the investigation states that the fraud, which would have taken place from 2020 to 2022, would have had as its victim the Inps in relation to alleged irregularities in the receipt of funds for the Cassa integrazione in deroga Covid 19 for a total of 13 employees of the publishing group: a total of 126,468 euro (for a total of 20,117 hours) paid by the public body into the coffers of two companies that would have unduly received them.
The rights of suspects
.Once the notice has been served, the defendants may, within 20 days, submit pleadings, produce documents, file any documents relating to investigations by the defence counsel, request the public prosecutor to carry out new investigative acts, or to appear in order to make statements or be interrogated. If the suspect requests to be interrogated, the public prosecutor must do so.
The genesis of the investigation
.The file had been opened after a complaint by Federica Bottiglione, the company's former Investor Relator (the professional who maintains relations with investors and intermediaries in a listed company). And Visibilia Editore is listed on the Euronext Growth Milan stock exchange (although it has been suspended from trading since 4 March), the multilateral trading platform dedicated to small and medium-sized enterprises of Borsa Italiana
The Gdf report
.In a report by the Gdf filed some time ago with the public prosecutor Giuseppina Gravina and the deputy Laura Pedio, it had emerged how the move to resort to Cigs would also have been concocted by Kunz D'Asburg and Concordia, treasury manager of the Visibilia Group, founded by Santanchè. For the Fiamme Gialle, the conversations between the two revealed their 'awareness' of the 'illicit' scheme adopted.
