Major anti-fraud operation in Caserta: 5 arrests and seizure of 20 million for bankruptcy and money laundering linked to Coldiretti

A criminal network composed of professionals, front men and a liquidator has been unmasked by the Guardia di Finanza investigations, leading to five arrests and the seizure of assets worth approximately 20 million euros. The charges are fraudulent bankruptcy, money laundering and self-laundering, with serious repercussions on the Italian agricultural sector.

The operation, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Santa Maria Capua Vetere and conducted by the Economic and Financial Police Unit of the Guardia di Finanza of Caserta, led to the application of precautionary measures against five people, accused of having implemented a complex strategy of plundering the assets of two confidi companies linked to Coldiretti, the main organization of Italian farmers.

The investigations, launched following a complaint filed by members of the board of auditors of Coldiretti, revealed a plan orchestrated by the liquidator of the companies, who, with the complicity of professionals and front men, led these businesses to financial collapse. Through evasive maneuvers, the companies were deprived of their assets, compromising their ability to guarantee financing for the associated small and medium-sized agricultural businesses.

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Seizures throughout Italy: properties, luxury cars and bank accounts

The seizure involved 25 properties distributed throughout the country, with a particular concentration in Puglia, Lazio, Tuscany, Lombardy and Sicily. The assets blocked also include numerous luxury and historic cars, bank accounts, insurance policies and company shares.

According to investigators, the fraud was carried out through an artificial undervaluation of the corporate assets of the confidi companies, followed by the sale of business branches to companies specifically established and de facto controlled by the liquidator. The transactions took place at prices significantly lower than the market value, thus allowing the theft of the assets without leaving obvious traces.

A further element of complexity was given by the creation of foreign companies, some with headquarters in Panama, to hinder the traceability of the assets to the main suspect. Despite these precautions, the financial and documentary investigations allowed to reconstruct the entire network of illicit operations.

Millions in damages for Coldiretti and the agricultural sector

Fraudulent operations have caused serious damage to the guarantee companies of Coldiretti, which found themselves without assets and with huge debts linked to the guarantees provided for bank loans. This has put many agricultural SMEs in difficulty that were counting on the financial support of the confidi companies.

It is important to remember that the suspects, although subject to precautionary measures, are presumed innocent until a final sentence. The measures adopted are the result of a preliminary phase of the investigation and the trial will guarantee a complete adversarial process to ascertain any responsibilities.