CANCELLO ARNONE – The Santa Maria Capua Vetere Public Prosecutor's Office strikes against an alleged fraud linked to the construction of a dairy plant for the production of mozzarella.
The Carabinieri of the Group of Aversa they executed a preventive seizure order, issued by the Judge for preliminary investigations, which affected both the plant located in the Municipality of Cancello ed Arnone and a sum of approximately 4 million euros, received by the company as public funding from Invitalia SpA
The investigation, still in its preliminary stages, has revealed hypotheses of crimes that include forgery, fraud in obtaining public funds and violations of building regulations. In particular, serious irregularities were found in the granting of the permit to build the new plant and in the procedure that led to obtaining public funds.
Irregular permits and environmental violations
According to what has emerged, the Municipality of Cancello ed Arnone would have issued the building permit without a necessary Environmental Impact Assessment (VINCA). The latter would have been essential since the site where the plant was to be built is located near the Volturno River, a protected area that is part of the European NATURA2000 network.
The entrepreneurs involved allegedly implemented a series of maneuvers to circumvent the VINCA obligation, a requirement reported as missing by the Special Office for Environmental Assessments of the Campania Region. This lack could have blocked the disbursement of the requested financing to Invitalia, the national agency for business development controlled by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Delegation to the Municipality of Castello del Matese
To overcome the obstacle, the Municipality of Cancello ed Arnone would have requested and obtained from the Campania Region the delegation in matters of environmental assessment, stipulating an agreement with the Municipality of Castello del Matese. The latter, already delegated by the Region for environmental assessments, has an Environmental Commission that, however, would not have carried out an adequate technical investigation on the documentation presented by the company.
The environmental study produced for the project, drafted only formally, had serious gaps. Despite this, the Environmental Commission of the Municipality of Castello del Matese expressed favorable opinions, thus allowing the company to obtain contributions.
The action of the Prosecutor's Office
The operation marks a crucial point in the fight against fraud on public funds, with an intervention that aims to protect not only the economic resources of the State but also the environmental heritage of the territory. The investigations continue to ascertain further responsibilities and reconstruct in detail the ways in which the alleged fraud was orchestrated.
Article published on 17 January 2025 - 15:17
