Naples, mafia vote-trading in the 2016 municipal elections for Forza Italia: 27 people investigated.
Mafia-style criminal association and vote-buying in the June 5, 2016 election for the renewal of the city council of Naples. The public prosecutors of the DDA of Naples, Maurizio De Marco and Henry John Woodcock, have closed the investigations against 27 people. Among them the former Forza Italia senator Salvatore Marano and the hotel industry entrepreneurs Antonio, Francesco and Luca Simonelli, as well as Concetta Solla.
Based on testimonies of informants and wiretaps, Marano is being investigated for vote-trading together with Michele Schiano Di Visconti, at the time a regional councilor for Scelta Civica; both promised jobs in exchange for preferences for a Forza Italia representative running for the municipality of Naples in 2016. Marano is also charged with 416 bis and the fictitious interposition of assets. Also under investigation are Agrippino Parolisi, Salvatore Vignati, Agostino Cangiano, Rosa Cerqua, Ida Cutarelli, a candidate on the civic list Prima Napoli, Giuseppe Rigata, Vincenzo De Luca (only a namesake of the governor of Campania), Giuseppe Petruccione, Stanislao Lanzotti, another member of Forza Italia and son of the former councilor of Stefano Caldoro's regional council Caterina Miraglia, Giuseppe Oliva, Annunziata Petriccione, Ciro De Vincenzo, Antonio Milo, Palmina Persico, Raffaele Spennagallo, Ciro De Marco, Guglielmo Maione, Eugenio Nitrone, Angelo De Giacomo, who is accused of having given money in exchange for preferences.
The investigation, which originally involved 80 people, has already been scaled down by the investigating judge who rejected the PMs' request for precautionary measures; the investigating magistrates appealed to the Review Court which again rejected the measure. There are at least four clans involved in the investigation, all from the northern area of the city, including the Di Lauros, except for the Missos from the Sanita district
Article published on 2 July 2020 - 06:24
