Venice, councillor arrested: charges of corruption, money laundering and false invoicing. Mayor Brugnaro under investigation

Ten years after the Mose investigation that swept away a ruling class, there is a new judicial storm in Venice,

This morning, on charges of bribery, money laundering and false invoicing, 18 people, including Renato Boraso, a councillor of the Venice City Council, were remanded in custody. They are under investigation as part of an investigation into tenders and public administration.

At the centre of the investigation are in fact the relations of the municipal administration with Singaporean businessman Chiat Kwong Ching, at the time when Boraso was councillor for Heritage: one of the accusations is that he sold off Palazzo Poerio Papadopoli to the businessman for 10 million euro, when its estimated value was 14. According to investigators, the councillor would have been paid about 73 thousand euro for the operation through false consultancy. In addition to the mayor Luigi Brugnaro (for the issue of the development of the Pili area), his chief of staff and general manager of the municipality Morris Ceron and deputy chief of staff Derek Donadini, the general manager of Actv Avm (transport) Giovanni Seno (for him too, arrest was requested and rejected by the Gip), and Luis Lotti, the Italian manager of the Singaporean entrepreneur, are also under investigation. The sum subject to preventive seizure amounts to EUR 2 million.

The mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro, recipient of a notice of indictment, said he was 'appalled. In my heart and conscience, I know that I have always performed and continue to perform the office of mayor as a service to the community, free of charge, always putting public interests first. Obviously, I am and remain at the disposal of the judiciary to clarify all these matters,' he explained in a note.

The Guardia di Finanza of Venice, under delegation of the Veneto Public Prosecutor's Office, carried out searches and the application of precautionary measures. Administrators, public officials and entrepreneurs are involved. The offences charged against the Venice City Council's mobility councillor Renato Boraso are linked to an investigation that started in 2021 on the basis of a complaint concerning the use of some land on the outskirts of Venice. According to Chief Prosecutor Bruno Cherchi, after the report, the investigation was triggered in 2022, while the criminal activity is said to have continued until today despite Boraso's knowledge of the ongoing investigations.