Raffaele Cantone, the Perugia prosecutor who is leading an investigation into the alleged illegal accesses by the Lieutenant of the Finance Police, made shocking statements during the Anti-Mafia commission. He described the amount of accesses as “disturbing and monstrous numbers”.
According to the data already collected, there were more than 800 abusive accesses between January 2019 and November 2022. Within the SIVA database, it was discovered that Lieutenant Striano consulted over 4000 SOS, which are databases with confidential information. In addition, he also carried out almost 2000 searches on the SDI database. In total, the accesses exceed 10 units, a figure that is still growing.
Further troubling information was revealed during the hearing. Cantone revealed that Striano had provided a detailed diary of all his activities, which also included the collection of information on the funds of the political party Lega. This revelation caused a stir and provoked a strong reaction from the leader of Lega, Matteo Salvini, who called for clarity and transparency on these alleged illicit operations.
Regarding the possibility of involvement of foreign secret agents, Cantone stated that there are no connections between Striano and them. Cantone stressed the importance of protecting the integrity of the National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor's Office, for which Striano worked, and of establishing the truth about the facts.
According to Cantone, the amount of sensitive data illegally collected by Striano is much higher than initially estimated. Striano allegedly downloaded more than 33 files from the National Anti-Mafia Directorate database, leading Cantone to wonder what happened to this information.
The investigation found that Striano monitored 165 media-exposed individuals and VIPs. This monitoring also included himself. Cantone has vehemently denied that he was investigating a non-solid case, saying he has great respect for freedom of expression.
Another important consideration of Cantone concerns the uncontrolled activity in SOS despite the beginning of the investigation. In fact, Striano would have continued to carry out research secretly, even on his own name.
The hearing of the Anti-Mafia Commission continued with the National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor Giovanni Melillo, after five hours of hearing. Subsequently, the Commission also heard Cantone, at the specific request of the magistrate himself.
Article published on March 7, 2024 - 16pm
